Pro-life campaigner dies
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Phyllis Bowman, founder of pro-life political lobbying organisation Right to Life died recently, aged 85. For half a century, right up to her final illness and last days, she fought tirelessly to save unborn babies from abortion and, more recently, against efforts to legalise euthanasia in Britain. Like other women who […]
Going down
The GFG website will be down for a period this evening for essential repairs. A man with a spanner, a hammer and a cold chisel needs to do some work on it. It will descend to the realm of the dead and rise in glory.
Funeralworld’s Hallelujah Chorus
The Joy of Death Festival 2012 will pilot the first Good Funeral Guide Awards Ceremony to recognise outstanding service to the bereaved. The awards will be made in the following categories: Most Promising New Funeral Director Embalmer of the Year The Eternal Slumber Award for Coffin Supplier of the Year Most Significant Contribution to the Understanding of Death in […]
Press Release: Bournemouth to host the first trade awards for the funeral industry
Bournemouth will host the first ever trade awards ceremony for the funeral industry on Friday 7 September. The competition is an initiative run by the Good Funeral Guide and the Bournemouth Joy of Death Festival. The Good Funeral Guide is an independent, not-for-profit consumer advice and advocacy service for people who need to arrange a funeral […]
Making an impression
From Wikipedia: Franz Reichelt, also known as Frantz Reichelt or François Reichelt (1879 – February 4, 1912), was an Austrian-born French tailor, inventor and parachuting pioneer, now sometimes referred to as the Flying Tailor, who is remembered for his accidental death by jumping from the Eiffel Tower while testing a wearable parachute of his own design. Reichelt had become fixated on developing a suit for aviators that […]
These rituals are for us all to re-imagine
Extracts from the speech delivered by Ru Callender at the launch of the 5th edition of the Natural Death Handbook at the Horse Hospital, London, 4 July. In the west, the idea of celebrating our ancestors has weakened along with our religious beliefs. We are less sure of our place in the natural order, less sure […]
Final lap for Luke
The Rev Paul Sinclair takes Luke Leary for a last spin at Brands Hatch, at speed, before Luke’s funeral. Luke, 24, was killed in an accident. According to KentOnline: Around 50 machines and at least the same number of cars lined up at the entrance to Brands Hatch as 24-year-old Luke Leary’s coffin was brought […]
No Zil lanes for the dead
The Olympics are going to create a headache for funeral directors and the bereaved in a country where getting to the crem on time is crucial to the smooth running of a crematorium. Some funeral directors are already in despair. According to the Daily Star: Moona Taslim of Muslim funeral home Haji Taslim, which sits […]
No, you can’t
Extracted from ThisIsLeicestershire: Teaching assistant Pam Goodwin, 44, who worked at Highcliffe Primary, in Birstall, died at home in the village on June 6, of cancer. Head teacher Pauline Aveling said: “Pam was a wonderful character and a pillar of the community. She worked very hard to help the children in her care. She was loved […]
Thoughts of a funeral-goer
Posted by Lyra Mollington After even just a few funerals, remaining focused as a mystery mourner is proving quite a challenge. No wonder some of the vicars sound lacklustre. They must be thinking, ‘Here we go again: everyone looking glum; pretending to listen; miming to the words of the hymn; wishing they were already at […]
