Best Green Funeral Product
Andrew Briggs Of Brahms Electric Vehicles ‘This is a category that the judges think will grow over the years; with a number of strong contenders already jostling to win, the market for green funeral products is, forgive the pun, a ripening one. The Brahms electric Eco-hearse is the only one of its kind and the […]
Low Cost Funeral Director of the Year
Lucy Coulbert of Coulbert Family Funerals Having geared her business specifically to help families of limited means arrange dignified and respectful funerals, Lucy was the only funeral director in England and Wales to give evidence to the 2016 DWP Bereavement Benefits Enquiry. Lucy gives a 100% customer-focused service, unconstrained by the traditions of funeral service. […]
Exploring the stigma around baby loss
Guest post by Debbie Howard – Director/Producer – Big Buddha Films During the making of my previous short film Peekaboo, I had already built up close relationships with many families who had lost babies, so I had their trust from the beginning of this documentary and was able to gain remarkable access to their personal lives. […]
Best Maker of Hand Carved Memorials in an Indigenous Material
Hannah Wessel of Stoneletters Fergus Wessel, founder of Stoneletters, is a master of his craft, and provides a personal, sensitive service for bereaved families. He operates from his workshop in the Cotswolds with his small team, and prospective clients are encouraged to go and meet him there to see his work up close and discuss […]
Most Significant Contribution to the Understanding of Death
Amanda Woodward of Tamworth Co-operative Funeral Service Tamworth Co-operative Funeral Service is leading the way in working with their local community to understand the myriad of emotions and potential difficulties they may have to endure during a bereavement. Around six years ago, the company took the bold decision to invest in this area of communicating […]
Best Alternative to a Hearse
Gordon Tulley of Respect Bentley Gordon’s 1948 Bentley Birkin Special is this year’s classiest and most distinctive addition to the range of alternative hearses available to bereaved people who want to personalize their funeral. Gordon Tulley is a restlessly entrepreneurial innovator in the funerals business. He owns natural burial grounds, is a specialist in direct […]
Best Funeral Caterer
Sandy Weatherburn accepting the award on behalf of Dawn Thompson of Claret Catering What sets Dawn apart is her vocation to create and cater for appropriate and meaningful funeral after-parties. Dawn is unusual among caterers in having a special calling to cater for funeral after-parties – wakes, teas, call them what you will. For Dawn, […]
Best Internet Bereavement Resource
Jonathan Davies of MuchLoved.com MuchLoved, the UK’s best and most ethical memorial website, is ten years old this year, and has facilitated more than £25 million of donations to charities. The award celebrates these achievements together with the unpaid input of co-founder Andy Daniels. Andy Daniels, who founded MuchLoved.com with Jonathan Davies, and is the […]
Crematorium of the Year
Martin Birch of Thornhill Crematorium, Cardiff This year’s winner is particularly praised for addressing funeral poverty in imaginative ways, not least through participation in the pioneering initiative of the local authority funeral scheme, which challenges the rising cost of funerals, while making the funeral purchase more transparent. Approximately 12% of cremations carried out at this […]
Cemetery of the Year
Mohamed Omer from Gardens of Peace Muslim Cemetery Against all the odds the Trustees of the Gardens of Peace have transformed wasteland into a beautiful and sustainable burial ground. The story of the creation of the Gardens of Peace is one of gentle heroism. The shortage of burial space in and around London is of […]
