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Saint and Forster Funeral Directors Ltd
Address: 3 Thompson Street East, Darlington, DL1 3BA
Phone: 01325 485111 Email: enquiries@saintandforster.co.uk Web: www.saintandforster.co.uk
Funeral Director/s: Keith Munt and Malcolm Singleton. Malcolm, a photographer, started the business in 2009 with his wife Sarah. Having attended many life celebrations of all sorts in the course of his career, and having recently gone through the pain of losing his father, Malcolm wanted to help other people to create funerals which celebrate the lives of those who have died. He was joined in 2011 by Keith, a trained funeral industry professional of 13 years’ standing who, in his work for a corporate funeral business, longed to offer a truly bespoke and personal funeral service of the sort that only an independent business can offer. He says, “Clients justifiably want a more personal and unique funeral service for their loved one. They are beginning to demand more information and control rather than simply being told what they ‘ought’ to do. We welcome this change and are responding to it by giving clients as much information and choice as we can. We do not see these changes as a threat, but rather as an opportunity to offer the service that the client actually wants.” Malcolm and Keith are business partners. Keith, together with his partner Jenny, works in the funeral home full time. Jenny is an educational consultant, trainer and examiner in the field of Religious Studies and has an MA in World Religions. Malcolm combines funeral directing with photography. When he is not working he enjoys walking, caravanning, playing his saxophone and practising his circus skills. He is noted for his dry sense of humour and love of all things Tommy Cooper. Keith likes to grow rare plants, walk on the moors and visit heritage sites.
Specific Gravity: If it’s a traditional funeral you want, that’s what they’ll do for you, and very smartly, too. If you want a less formal affair, they will be very happy to adapt to your dress code and instructions. Says Keith, “The only issue for us is what is going to be helpful or useful to the family. We can be ultra traditional or extremely alternative. We aim to celebrate a unique life in a unique way.” They will also offer you the full range of alternatives to a traditional hearse as well as the economical option of their estate car.
What’s important? What’s important to Malcolm and Keith is that feel you have all the time you need to create a unique and beautiful funeral. They won’t hurry you. They are very good listeners. And because they are experienced they may be able to suggest all sorts of touches that you hadn’t thought of. Most funeral directors can make you feel as if your options are rather limited. Here, you find out just what really is possible. Says Keith, “This is why I love funeral directing, I can help people. Together we can transform a bereavement into a celebration of a unique and wonderful life.”
What’s different? This is a funeral home with personality. It’s a breath of fresh air. It looks different, it feels different, and you are likely to find the experience much more positive than you might have supposed it could be.
Services: Your call will be answered by Keith, Malcolm or Jenny. Just one person will look after you all the way through, and be there for you on the day of the funeral. They will carefully talk through with you the necessity to embalm only if they think it advisable. They are very happy to come to your home to make arrangements and find that this is what most people want. If you want a same-sex funeral director to wash and dress the person who’s died that’s no problem. If you would like to come and do that yourself they will support you, and help you if that is what you want. If you would like to care for the person who has died at home they will help you in any way you want. Outstanding celebrants on their books, with whom they share information and ideas. They offer memorial books which provide a pictorial tribute to the life of the deceased using pictures and documents supplied by the family and also a photographic and/or video service at the funeral if required. Other services they can offer include pet funerals, accredited by the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria. Premises bright and airy, a refreshing change from most funeral directors. Plenty of on-street parking outside.
Remarks: We like their commitment to transparent, ethical pricing, and note that they offer very good value for money. They will bring a very personal touch to even the simplest funeral. Saint and Forster is both wholehearted and highly professional. As we’ve already noted, this is a funeral home with a very distinct personality. Call them or drop in, then take it from there. We are grateful to the Rev George Callander, President of the Society of Bereavement Practitioners, for recommending this funeral home. He can’t speak highly enough of it.
There are 2 comments about Saint and Forster Funeral Directors Ltd
Rev George Callander said...
I am very glad to see Saint and Forster included in the Good Funeral Guide. I have worked with hundreds of funeral director businesses over the years, but Saint and Forster stand clearly head and shoulders above others.
They are utterly committed to providing their clients with the very best care, support and service. Keith, Malcolm and Jenny are friendly, funny, respectful and above all compassionate in their approach to the bereaved.
Every funeral service I have conducted for Keith and Malcolm has been outstanding – they fill their clients with a very real sense of calm and confidence. I know from dealing with families how much they appreciate the truly personal approach of all at Saint and Forster.
It is a great privilege for me as a minister to work with these splendid people. Saint and Forster deserve to grow and prosper. This is bereavement care as it should be delivered.
Sue Whitlock said...
Having several times been in the situation of having to arrange a funeral for a loved one whilst suffering from the ‘cotton wool brain’ that follows a bereavement, I decided to arrange my own funeral in advance to save my children from having to make decisions at such a difficult time.
I want a green burial and approached Saint and Forster because they seemed the most comfortable of local undertakers with this kind of funeral.
They are also ‘pet-friendly’ – important to me because I want my dog’s ashes buried with me.
I made an appointment for what I thought would be about a 20 minute session during which I would be given information. In fact I found myself there for the best part of 2 hours, chatting with Keith, drinking coffee and in fits of laughter for a lot of the time. What a lovely man he is!
He assured me that every little thing I would like was not only possible but was absolutely no problem. If I had been bereaved, numb and vulnerable I would have felt totally safe in his hands.
He also provided me with a questionnaire about my funeral wishes, to take away and complete with no obligation whatsoever for Saint and Forster to conduct the funeral.
I have now visited a recommended burial site, chosen and paid for my plot and given a copy of the completed questionnaire to my solicitor to hold with my will. My children know exactly what I would like – and are immensely grateful, both to me and to Keith, for getting everything sorted in advance.
I cannot recommend Saint and Forster too highly.