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Natural Endings Funeral Services
Address: 151 Northenden Road, Sale, Manchester M33 2HS
Phone: 0161 969 6690 Email: enquiries@naturalendings.co.uk Web: www.naturalendings.co.uk
Funeral Director/s: Rosie Grant and Ian Clarke. This is a funeral home of two halves, one trad, the other green and alternative. Rosie (30s) heads up the green side, Ian the trad side. Both work closely together. Unusually, both have university degrees. There is a separate review of Ian Clarke Funerals. Rosie first became involved in funerals when her dying Mum told Rosie “she wanted and didn’t want certain things. We arranged a fantastic funeral for her. I laid her out, a friend made a coffin, we had her ceremony in a thatched barn followed by a woodland burial. I decided that I’d like to train and help other families say goodbye in creative ways, and trained with Peace Funerals, Sheffield (see separate review)”. When not burying people Rosie loves the outdoors, the theatre, dancing, living beside the Mersey and pottering in the garden with her cats, Stanley and Roxy.
Specific Gravity: No shades of the coffin house here. Rosie works collaboratively with people, helping them to create a great send-off for their dead person and, often, care for their body, too. She comes over as someone who gets alongside you because that is exactly what she’s there for. A calm and gentle presence, a very good listener. Training to be a psychotherapist. Bright premises and unusually attractive colours.
What’s important? Getting to know you matters, spending time with you, exploring what you want and how that can be achieved. Can get quite involved in ceremony planning, has a team of good secular celebrants on hand, and can guide you in creating and leading your own. Deep knowledge of natural burial and green issues. Can suggest many alternative venues for the ceremony. “We welcome unusual ideas and suggestions and do our best to make them a reality.”
What’s different? Creativity is a hallmark. So is empowering you to take ownership of the funeral. Unusually qualified and experienced in consultancy to home funeralists. Regular appearances on BBC radio and in serious newspapers. One of the few FDs who will sell you a coffin – and at a non-rip-off price, what’s more. Cardboard starts at £85. Rosie has a great photo collection of decorated cardboard coffins.
Services: Phone always answered by Rosie or Ian. Whoever you meet first will see it through with you. Will visit you at home. Avoid embalming where possible. Yes to same sex undertaker laying out the body and yes to you coming and helping. Experienced in burying on private land. Brilliant range of coffins and transport, incl a handsome bluebell hearse. Excellent website.
Remarks: Making it happen and getting it right require failsafe admin and precision-engineered organisational skills. Rosie is a particularly nice and a most engaging person. Underneath the niceness there is real rigour. She gets it right.
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