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 […]
Gravedigger of the Year
David Homer Nominated by many of the funeral directors he works with, this year’s winner set up his own grave digging business in 2007. David has quickly become the favoured contracted gravedigger for many funeral directors, both corporate and independent, in the Midlands area. Digging by hand, and completing around 300 graves a year, and […]
Florist of the Year
Debbie Western Debbie has a particular personal passion and an unrivalled gift for creating floral displays for funerals. She has supplied flowers for the sendoffs of celebrities. In an outstanding field, Debbie stands out because funeral flowers are her specialism. This is a matter of personal predilection rather than business opportunism: what Debbie loves most […]
Good news for Dignity shareholders
Bereaved families in the Oxford area may be a little less pleased to know that the cost of having a relative cremated at their local Dignity owned crematorium will be £999 from next week onwards. Just a short journey towards London, a cremation at South West Middlesex Crematorium will cost £490 (source Funeralbooker report on […]
Embalmer of the Year
Andy Holder Andy is an outstandingly accomplished embalmer whose knowledge and professional skills are matched by his humanity and respect for people who have died. Overwhelming endorsements from many of the funeral directors that he works with were the reason why Andy has been picked as the Embalmer of the Year. Unfailingly he was described […]
