Tag: Funeral

Gifts gathered in Shaftesbury for children’s hospital

Posted on by ashleymarsh

An unlikely trio of an armed forces charity, motorbikers, and a funeral director have combined their strengths to make sure children in hospital get some extra special toys this Christmas.

Dan Skinner, one of our Funeral Service Operatives based in Shaftesbury, is currently rallying the troops to take part in a toy run to Dorset County Hospital on Saturday 16 December.

The idea was kicked off at his local meeting of the Royal British Legion Riders and he has already secured £500 of donations from Southern Co-op which runs The Co-operative Funeralcare – Shaftesbury.

The donations will be made to the Kingfisher Ward which is for children and young people aged 0 to 17 years. It has 17 inpatient beds for a variety of specialities and Dan wants to make sure the ward is filled with gifts that all the children can enjoy.

Dan said: “I am currently trying to bring together as many people as I can muster. The more involvement, the more donations and the more the children will benefit.

“The hospital staff have sent me a list of items they would be very grateful for so this donation will make a great difference. I was really taken aback with the quantity of toys donated, it’s really generous.

“We have approached other motorcycle groups as well so I hope we’ll have a good attendance, the idea being that everyone brings something to donate.”

The Royal British Legion Riders branch exists primarily to support the poppy appeal but will also lend a hand in the community when they are able.

But it’s not just charity work that they get involved in. Dan fondly remembers him and his fellow bikers taking part in a surprise birthday visit to a nursing home for a gentleman in his nineties who loved his fast cars and motorcycles.

Dan said: “The nursing home had organised an ice cream van and the sun shone. It really made his day.

“We also do a lot of funeral escorts as well, at the request of families, mostly for veterans who have passed away.”

To find out more about the Dorset branch of the Royal British Legion Riders, visit www.facebook.com/RBLRDorset/ or email dorset@riders-mail.com.

Ryde funeralcare offers residents free bereavement support

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Residents in Ryde, who have experienced grief, are being encouraged to drop in to a local monthly bereavement support wellbeing group.

The free group is led by an experienced bereavement co-ordinator from Bereavement Care – a support service offered by the Island’s The Co-operative Funeralcare branches, including Ryde.

Anyone who has experienced loss is invited to join, regardless of whether they have used services offered by the branches which are part of the regional independent co-operative, Southern Co-op.

Alex Morley​, who looks after the Isle of Wight branches of The Co-operative Funeralcare, said: “Loss and grief affects us all at one time or another. We know how important support is to help us through this – whether that is soon after a loved one passes or years down the line.

“It was more than 20 years ago the Southern Co-op first introduced free bereavement support so it is really special that we can still offer it to people today.”

The next free bereavement wellbeing support group in Ryde takes place on Friday 13 October at Elim Church, 48 Albert Street, Ryde, PO33 2SB, from 10am to 12pm. They usually take place on the 2nd Friday of every month.

Lesley Hadley, Bereavement Coordinator at Bereavement Care, said: “The drop-in well-being support group offers a relaxed and non-judgmental environment where participants can openly express their feelings, share their stories, and find comfort through mutual support.

“It is a place where individuals can meet others who truly understand what they are going through, fostering a sense of community during a difficult time.”

To find out more or to explore other bereavement support available, visit https://bereavementcare.uk/.

More than 14,000 donations made in memory of loved ones

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Just under £700,000 was donated to more than 450 charities in 2022 thanks to people donating in memory of their loved ones.

The donations were made via a free online memorials feature offered by more than 60 Southern Co-op funeral care homes.

In the top ten charities which received the largest overall donation last year, three of them were local including Rowans Hospice in Hampshire which had 961 donations totalling £50,853.

Claire McGinty, Client Experience and Aftercare Manager at Southern Co-op, said: “Each and every one of these donations is thanks to an individual who is grieving for a loved one. This is an incredibly generous thing to do and will clearly make a significant difference to all the causes who have benefitted.

“This is possibly even more touching at the moment when a lot of charities are struggling and need all the support they can get. Thank you to all those who donated.”

Over the last three years, a total of £2,082,095 was donated by families across the south of England via the free online tribute service offered by Southern Co-op.

Michelle Merrison, Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity’s In Memory Giving Manager, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has donated in memory of someone special in 2022. We are always deeply touched when people choose to remember us as they remember and celebrate the life and memories of a loved one and it is an honour to be able to continue to provide our vital services to more families in their names.

“The total received will have covered the equivalent of a month of Day Hospice sessions, providing specialist and individual support to help our patients maintain independence, improve their quality of life and manage their symptoms.”

The platform, supplied by MuchLoved, enables donations to any UK registered charity with no subscription fee which means many small charities can receive vital funding thanks to the generosity of your communities choosing to donate in memory of their loved ones.

Ruth Brady, Fundraising Manager for the Andrew Simpson Foundation, said: “The Andrew Simpson Foundation (ASF) was inspired by Olympic Gold and Silver medallist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson MBE. Our mission is to transform lives through sailing. Absolutely everything we do is driven by our belief that all young people can excel and succeed in life and work.

“Thank you to all the incredible people who chose to support our work through MuchLoved. The funds raised through MuchLoved enabled the ASF to support over 5,000 young people in 2022.”

Alice Garratt, In Memory & Legacy Fundraiser at Thames Hospice, said: “A dedicated online tribute page can offer great comfort for friends and families to remember and honour a loved one, and fundraising in their memory makes such a difference to support our work.

“We are incredibly grateful to all the families who chose to set up an online tribute page in aid of Thames Hospice last year and a special thanks to Southern Co-op who facilitated tributes which have raised £11,400. This could pay for 253 hours of counselling time, which is six 1 hour sessions for 42 people.”

James Young, Individual Giving Fundraiser at St. Michael’s Hospice, said: “We want to say thank you to everyone who donated in memory of a loved one and helped raise an incredible £16,764.34 for St. Michael’s Hospice.

“These funds will help us provide free compassionate care to our patients and their families across North Hampshire. Thank you so much, we simply can’t do what we do without the kindness and generosity of our supporters.“

Lara Battersby, Communications Officer for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to express our sincere thanks to those who have generously donated in memory of their loved ones to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance during 2022, raising a total of £604.58 in aid of our life-saving service.

“The charity receives no direct funding from the Government or the National Lottery and relies on the generosity of the public to help raise our operational costs of over £5 million per year, so we are incredibly grateful to receive this heartfelt support.”

Alison Taylor, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Chestnut Tree House and St Barnabas Hospices, said: “Thank you so much to all the staff and customers at Southern Co-op who have supported Chestnut Tree House and St Barnabas House throughout 2022. We wouldn’t be able to carry on providing the care we do without the support from our community.”

Tree blessing and fundraising in Fareham

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Celebrants, colleagues, clients and friends gathered in Fareham last week for an open day at The Co-operative Funeralcare branch in Trinity Street.

The branch was filled with festive scents with mulled wine and homemade festive treats including gingerbread biscuits, sausage and cranberry sausage rolls and an abundance of mince pies.

A raffle was held for The Rainbow Centre which supports children and adults affected by neurological conditions. The total amount raised from the raffle was £172.

Rev Sean Blackman also attended and blessed the branch’s tree, which is adorned with twinkling stars.

Regulations and funeral plans: What is the point?

Posted on by ashleymarsh

My name is Olivia Clinton, and I am here at Southern Co-op’s head office alongside my peers, Emma and Lexie for work experience as part of my T Level course with HSDC.

On Wednesday the 30th of November I found out more about funeral planning and the reason behind its new regulations.

I spoke to Linda Uwawuike about her role and responsibilities within the business. Linda is the Funeral Planning and Administration Manager and has been with the business since the beginning of May. Although she is quite new to the role, her background is in banking and finance for over 30 years, giving her lots of experience dealing with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which started regulating pre-paid funeral plans on 29 July.

The FCA is there to protect the consumer to make sure that every aspect of the business benefits the consumer and raises standards. Linda mentioned that there can be some strict rules within this, for example, managing vulnerability and certain types of payments. From Linda and Southern Co-op’s point of view, it is about making sure that they do the right thing by the customer, customer duty and how they put their clients at the heart and soul of everything they do, everything is done to protect them, whilst still running the business efficiently. Linda said: “It is important to be transparent and honest.”

There may also be people looking for a funeral plan who are vulnerable. Linda explained: “You need to be calm and factual, offer sympathy and be empathetic.” For clients that are considered vulnerable, there is then a model the team follows to make sure they are protected and to ensure everything is dealt with appropriately. This includes ‘thanking’ them for telling us what the health issue or other vulnerability is, ‘explaining’ that this will be written in their notes, asking for ‘explicit’ consent to do this, ‘asking’ any questions surrounding the vulnerability, and ‘signposting’ the client to where they could get support.

When people say the word ‘funeral’, this is often linked to sadness and grief but, within her role, Linda can help people prepare for their funeral. By discussing what they want for their funeral, it can help your loved ones in the future at a time which is much more emotional.

Linda highly recommends that, if you haven’t thought about it, look at planning a funeral. She said: “You can enjoy the rest of your life knowing you’ve created a funeral best fit for you or the person you’re doing it for.”

Window displays mark importance of Remembrance Day

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Co-operative colleagues across the south of England are marking Remembrance Day with special displays in their windows.

Southern Co-op’s funeralcare branches, crematoria and burial sites, have created colourful displays with an important message of remembrance.

Remembrance Day 2022 sees the Royal British Legion remembering and commemorating military and civilian service, and the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict.

Southern Co-op, the regional, independent co-operative, will be making a donation of £500 to the Royal British Legion to mark the important date.

Cathy Houghton, Funeral and Memorial Consultant at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Rowner, said: “I get a sense of pride when it comes to Remembrance Sunday. My dad, Patrick Divers, served with the Royal Marines Commandos during the Second World War and fought in the Dieppe Raid where 275 commandos lost their lives.

“Luckily my dad survived but sadly died when I was a child. I suppose my dad inspired me to join the forces at age 18 and I was proudly part of the Remembrance parade at Whitehall in 1989 representing the Women’s Royal Naval Service.

“Remembrance Sunday is important to me to remember those who gave up their lives for us… and to especially remember my dear dad.”

Southern Co-op’s colleagues will be marking the important day with a minute’s silence including at its local retail stores.

To find your nearest Southern Co-op funeral branch, visit www.funeralcare.co.uk/our-funeral-directors/location-map/.

Free online support for National Bereaved Parents Month

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Two online support groups are being held in July – National Bereaved Parents Month – to give extra help to those affected by the loss of a child.

Being held by Bereavement Care, in association with Southern Co-op and its local funeralcare branches, the support groups are for anyone who has experienced the loss of a child, regardless of age or circumstance.

National Bereaved Parents Day was set up in 2020 by the charity A Child of Mine as it wanted to bring together anyone affected by the loss of a child to show them that they are not alone.

As well as the support groups, Southern Co-op will be donating £1,000 to the charity to make sure bereaved parents and families get access to invaluable emotional and practical support.

Ali Davison, Bereavement Coordinator at Bereavement Care, said: “Our team works with people everyday to help them through some of the darkest days of their lives. So we know how incredibly important it is to have a safe, confidential environment, with others that may understand what they are going through, coupled with the support from our Bereavement Coordinators.

“We are mindful that the awareness month is likely to evoke a lot of emotions and we want to make sure we have resource in place to support these parents.”

The free Bereavement Care service is offered by Southern Co-op to everyone in its local communities – regardless of whether they have used its services. To find your nearest Southern Co-op funeral branch, visit www.funeralcare.co.uk/our-funeral-directors/location-map/.

The free service is designed to help and support people struggling to deal with bereavement.

The two online support groups will take place on Wednesday 13 July from 3pm to 4pm and Wednesday 20 July from 10am to 11am.

Links can be found via Bereavement Care’s Facebook page or by emailing info@bereavementcare.uk.

For more information on Bereavement Care and the help available, visit https://bereavementcare.uk/ or call 08081 691922.

Gosport remembers as new war memorial plaque is commemorated

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Andrea Witham with Cllr Dawn Kelly

Gosportarians gathered together yesterday to remember those who suffered during the enemy action of World War II after a replacement plaque has been sited in Stoke Road.

Marking one of the worst nights of World War II for those living in Gosport – 10/11 January 1941, the replacement war memorial plaque is located on the newer Marina Buildings which were destroyed in air raids.

Yesterday’s commemorative ceremony was organised by Councillor Dawn Kelly, who arranged the replacement plaque thanks to funding from Southern Co-op and its funeral care branch in Stoke Road, after the previous plaque became weather-worn and difficult to read.

The plaque now states: “Marina Buildings. This stone was laid as a memorial to the people of Gosport who lost their lives due to enemy action. Here on the night of 10/11 January 1941 Marina Buildings were destroyed in air raids. Rebuilt December 1947. Architect Ernest I. Thomas FRIBA, Builder John Hunt Ltd, Owner George Brigden.”

Dawn Kelly said: “The previous plaque started life in St Edwards Road and over the years it was moved and had become very weathered. The stone was so hard to read that it made reproducing the text a challenge.

“It needed replacing so I was very pleased when Southern Co-op offered to do it for free via their stonemasons. It is a mark of respect for people who put their lives on the line so it is only right for it to be restored and a commemorative ceremony to mark the occasion.”

During World War II, a total of 114 people lost their lives in Gosport as a result of air raids.

According to Gosport Heritage Open Days, Gosport experienced 1,591 alerts, 61 raids, it was hit by more than 400 high explosive bombs and over 10,000 incendiary bombs were dropped.

Andrea Witham, Funeral Co-ordinator at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Stoke Road, Gosport, said: “With war in the forefront of our minds, it seems even more poignant than ever to mark this occasion and commemorate all those who have lost their lives over the years.

“With many of the people who lived through World War II no longer with us, it is important for the rest of us to take up the baton and ensure their experiences continue to be remembered.”

Special thanks also to Haven Memorials and The Queens Hotel.

Co-operative community and care services expand to High Wycombe

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A free bereavement care service is now available in High Wycombe after one of the town’s funeral branches became part of an independent, regional co-operative.

The Bereavement Care service is offered by Southern Co-op to everyone in its local communities – regardless of whether they have used its services.

The free service is designed to help and support people struggling to deal with bereavement.

Since The Co-operative Funeralcare in Dashwood Avenue became part of Southern Co-op, the branch has also been fully refurbished.

Cared for by Funeral Co-ordinator Joanne Hoskins, the branch is now complete with a welcoming entrance area, a peaceful arrangement room and a calming reflection room.

Steve Pearce, Southern Co-op’s Chief Operating Officer for End of Life Services, said: “Since we welcomed the High Wycombe branch and colleagues into our family, we have been privileged to experience the high level of care which they offer local families and loved ones.

“It’s therefore a pleasure to be able to expand this personalised support and care through our Bereavement Care service as well as our community programme which is a mix of colleague volunteering, goods donations and funding possibilities.”

Via its Love Your Neighbourhood programme, Southern Co-op is committed to building a culture of neighbourliness, inspiring colleagues, members and customers to be community minded every day.

As well as colleague volunteering and goods donations, local causes can currently apply for funding of up to £500. The local funding is available for local causes which are working to create greener, healthier, safer and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

Funeral Co-ordinator Joanne, who lives locally in a small village just outside High Wycombe, said: “Having previously worked at the Beaconsfield branch before moving to High Wycombe in 2020, I recognise how important it is ensure someone’s final journey is personal and one to remember. It is all about the families we serve.

“As a 54-year-old mum of four and a loving nanny to my two wonderful grandchildren, I take great pride in my work and looking after my families is such a privilege.

“I treat their family member how I would expect my loved ones to be treated with respect, love and compassion.”

To find out more about Bereavement Care, visit www.bereavementcare.uk.

Continuity assured as four co-operative funeral branches change hands

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Four Buckinghamshire funeral homes are being revamped after swapping over to new co-operative ownership.

The Co-operative Funeralcare branches in High Wycombe, Hazlemere, Wendover and Aylesbury are now being run by Southern Co-op after a successful move from Midcounties Co-operative.

Both are independently run regional co-operatives sharing a strong ethical ethos with community values and both operate a number of funeral branches under the national co-operative branding.

The acquisition takes the number of Southern Co-op funeral branches to 62 across the south of England.

Steve Pearce, Chief Operating Officer for End of Life Services at Southern Co-op, said: “This is an exciting time allowing us to expand our personalised support, care and experience to even more local communities at their time of need.

“We are also delighted to welcome on-board all of the existing branch colleagues who have chosen to transfer across to our team. We have already extended a warm welcome to them and have been working closely with Midcounties to ensure a smooth changeover.

“We look forward to serving these local communities and families in their times of need and also through our community support programme, Love Your Neighbourhood, which includes financial donations, goods donations and volunteering.”

The changeover will ensure the continuation of a strong, sustainable co-operative offering for Midcounties’ funeralcare customers as well as supporting Southern Co-op’s ongoing expansion of its funeralcare services.

All existing funerals and pre-paid plans will be honoured and carried out as arranged.

Southern Co-op is currently planning to refurbish the branches over the coming months to enhance the experience for new and existing customers.

Phil Ponsonby, Group Chief Executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, said: “Following the recent completion of the transfer of 50 of our funeral homes to Central England Co-op, we’re pleased to have completed the transfer of a further four homes to Southern Co-op. The agreement will also see all four staff from the homes transfer.

“We’re extremely proud and thankful for the commitment of all our funeralcare colleagues, particularly during the last year when they have shown remarkable strength and versatility to support the bereaved in such challenging times.

“The agreement with Southern Co-op means that more than 95% of our existing funeral business remains within the co-operative movement as we continue to strengthen our strategic focus and investment on our travel, food, childcare, utilities and healthcare services.”