Caring for the Dead

Guest post by Hasina Zaman of Compassionate Funerals There are many facets to being a funeral director.  Much of our work seems to stay behind closed doors. Are we actively shielding the public from the dead or is society choosing not to embrace death as a part of life? Death has perhaps become removed from […]

Funeral poverty anyone?

‘High level return on investment within 2 to 5 years’ 2,500 plots available to investors Plot price to investors £2,400 High level return within two to five years Plots are valued at over £3,750 Clearly defined exit strategy Minimum investment is 4 plots ‘A very rare opportunity has arisen to purchase burial plots in London’s […]

Dignity Caring Funeral Services prices 2016

For some reason, the UK’s largest provider of funeral related services prefers not to list their prices online. Happily, we have no such reservations about letting the public know the current cost of a funeral from a Dignity PLC owned business. (There are currently in the region of 780 funeral director businesses in the UK that […]

‘Here’s Looking At You’ – The Good Grief Project

“It’s a photo taken by someone who would die in 3 months, of her loved ones looking at her, with that knowledge. It’s quite a concept isn’t it? I see the tense smiles as well as the relaxed merry faces. I printed the three photos and joined them together and I put it in her […]

International Work Group on Death, Dying & Bereavement Open Conference

  Today, somewhere in Scotland, leaders in the field of death, dying and bereavement will end a five-day meeting, and bid each other farewell until 2018, when the 30th gathering of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement will convene. Membership of the IWG is an honour bestowed by invitation only; founded in […]

FFMA reports positive start to the coffin certification scheme at AGM  

Press release from the FFMA with an update on the latest on the coffin testing protocol. ‘The funeral industry body, The Funeral Furnishing Manufacturer’s Association (FFMA) has reported a very positive start to its coffin and casket certification scheme at their Annual General Meeting on the 2nd November 2016. David Crampton – President, in his […]

Local SEO for funeral directors

Posted by Mark Sharron This is the fourth part in the “SEO for Funeral Directors” series.  Previous posts can be found here: SEO For Funeral Directors Adwords for Funeral Directs Onsite SEO for funeral directors Quick Introduction I am the founder/director of Sussex SEO Ltd.  I have been building websites for clients and optimising them […]

Lifetime Achievement Award

Josefine Speyer, wife of the late Nicholas Albery and co-founder and patron of The Natural Death Centre Charity   “Despite the list of contenders for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award being jam packed with luminaries from the death world, the judges were unanimous in their decision that this year the award would be given in […]

Bridging the Gap Award

Julian Atkinson, managing director of J. C. Atkinson & Son The ‘Bridging the Gap’ award was introduced this year specifically to acknowledge the work being done by this particular industry supplier who is doing the most to move the funeral business forward. Julian Atkinson was given this special award in response to the way his […]

Crematorium Assistant of the Year

‘Brass boy’ aka Steve Biggs, of Mortlake Crematorium   Steve Biggs has worked as a Chapel Attendant and Crematorium Technician at Mortlake Crematorium, London for three years. There are a great many people in crematoria throughout the country doing Steve’s job and, like Steve, many of them are unsung heroes, too.  It was a hard […]