ITV Exposure Responses FPL & NAFD
The following statement was read out after the Exposure programme 24.10.2012 ‘Last month in ‘The British Way of Death’ Exposure went under cover in the funeral industry at Funeral Partners Limited revealing racism and disrespect of bodies and the bereaved. FPL who own the branches in Slough and Tooting, where we’d been filming, have apologised, five people have been […]
Strange bedfellows?
The economic crisis in Greece has got so bad that football clubs are having to scour surviving businesses for sponsorship. Reuters reports that: Palaiopyrgos – many of whose players still attend school – have signed a deal with a funeral home. “For us it was a matter of survival,” manager Lefteris Vassiliou told Greek radio. Despite […]
Tattoo – A friend in death?
The Rise of the Maori Tribal Tattoo By Ngahuia Te Awekotuku University of Waikato, New Zealand Body adornment – swirling curves of black on shoulders, thighs, lower back, arms, upper feet, rear calves – has become an opportunity for storytelling as well. Some symbols represent children born, targets reached, places visited, and increasingly, memories of […]
Dunnarunna
Special communiqué from the Guvnor of the GFG, Sir Basil Batesville-Casket KBE, CDM, RLSS (Bronze) Blog Ed has up and hopped it to the coast for what he tells us is a well-deserved break. We’ll be the judge of that. There won’t be a job for him when he gets back. We need a better […]
Death is a thank you
From the New Zealand Herald: Greytown’s Mary Wait likes to be prepared for her adventures – death included. The 85-year-old has hand-painted her own coffin. Mary bought the coffin from a funeral director and painted it in 1994, although she was not expecting to die any time soon. “I think a funeral is a way of […]
No smoke without…
Hastings District Council has closed the chapel at the crematorium due to concerns over its earthquake strength. More here In Germany, a van carrying 12 coffins to a crematorium was stolen while the drivers enjoyed a comfort break. Here.
The kindness of strangers, UK vs US
Alexandra Frean is The Times’ bureau chief in Washington. She is British. When her husband died suddenly, one of my first thoughts was: “We’re all alone in a strange place.” But I was wrong. We were not alone. News of our plight spread around our neighbourhood within hours because the woman next door, unaware of […]
Gamble on the future
The GFG sends its congratulations and very best wishes to Stroud funeral director Michael Gamble, his wife Clare and all of the team as they prepare for tomorrow’s ceremonial opening of their lovely new funeral home. There to do the honours and snip the tape will be… our own Richard Honeysett.
Call it quits
From the Oxford Times: The former owner of Oxford’s last independent funeral directors has spoken of the difficult decision she made in selling the business. S & R Childs, which has four branches in the city, is now part of Dignity, the UK’s biggest provider of funeral services. Sandra Homewood was one of the founders […]
Thoughts of a funeral-goer
Posted by Lyra Mollington After last week’s trials and tribulations, I was looking forward to a week of rest and reflection. Mr M suggested a short break. Unfortunately, at our age, the stress of packing and travelling cancels out any benefits of getting away from it all. In any case, ‘it all’ is a centrally-heated […]
