10 July 2012 – The Good Funeral Guide

Pro-life campaigner dies

10 July 2012

Charles

12 Comments

Categories: Uncategorised

Posted by Richard Rawlinson

Phyllis Bowman, founder of pro-life political lobbying organisation Right to Life died recently, aged 85. For half a century, right up to her final illness and last days, she fought tirelessly to save unborn babies from abortion and, more recently, against efforts to legalise euthanasia in Britain. Like other women who have given their lives to causes — Florence Nightingale, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mother Teresea, Sue Ryder — she was feisty and shrewd (see her blog http://phyllisbowman.blogspot.co.uk/ for evidence of this).

Some here might not agree with her beliefs but is it not true that death is a great equaliser, a time when we admire someone’s convictions despite holding conflicting views? It’s also true that when an inspirational figure dies, admirers are motivated to continue the work. It’s as if death shows us how to appreciate people in a way we failed to do when they were alive.

Going down

10 July 2012

Charles

6 Comments

Categories: Uncategorised

The GFG website will be down for a period this evening for essential repairs. A man with a spanner, a hammer and a cold chisel needs to do some work on it.

It will descend to the realm of the dead and rise in glory.

Funeral mystery

10 July 2012

Charles

1 Comment

Categories: funerals in other cultures

From Swaziland:

MAFUCULA – Some mourners at the funeral of Lucky Nhlanhla Sifundza, the Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation (RSSC) employee who went missing and was confirmed dead three weeks later, were disappointed that they could not see what was inside his casket.

They had hoped that the Sifundzas would open the casket and allow them to see what was inside before taking it to the cemetery.

They were interested in seeing the inside of the light-brown casket because they had heard that only the deceased’s clothes would be buried. His body was never found.

The funeral was at Mafucula community cemetery yesterday.

The area is situated about 30 kilometres from Tambankulu on the way to Mhlume.

As the vigil continued, some of the mourners kept asking one another if the casket would be opened so that they could see what was inside.

Attending the funeral were more than 300 people who included Lucky’s colleagues.

At around 4am, one of the elders of the family made an announcement that it was time for the family to start preparing for the burial.

Mourners waited with the hope that the clothes in the casket would be displayed.

This did not happen.

Source

Follow-up letter to George Tinning, Managing Director, Co-operative Funeralcare

10 July 2012

Charles

19 Comments

Categories: Co-operative Funeralcare

Dear Mr Tinning,

It’s almost a fortnight since I wrote to you on 27 June. You haven’t replied. I’m disappointed, of course. I’m not wholly surprised, though. You’ve had a lot on your plate in the aftermath of Undercover Undertaker — and now you’ve got an Early Day Motion in Parliament to contend with. The reputation of Funeralcare is in tatters. What a distressing thing to happen in the middle of the United Nations International Year of the Co-operatives.

Well, it was all bound to come out some time. I hope you see that, now.

I am determined to look on the bright side. I like to believe that you are preoccupied with a full review of the way you operate so that you can relaunch Funeralcare with the core values of co-operation reinstalled, together with a renewed sense of mission both to the bereaved and to those who serve them. It must be reassuring to you to know that you employ some really good, caring people. They deserve better of their management.

So I simply want to repeat my offer: when you have faith-restoring messages that you need to get out to the public, please let us know so that we can do our bit to publicise them. The raison d’être of the Good Funeral Guide is, let me remind you, to direct funeral shoppers to the best people in funeral service. Our core purpose is to sing praises, not to shower blame.

It’s not just the audience of the Good Funeral Guide I want you to reach out to. Before you write to me, please would you write to Sharon McCoy in Runcorn. She has written to you, too, and she, likewise, has not had a reply. She endured a thoroughly unsatisfactory funeral arranged by Co-operative Funeralcare. Of its many unsatisfactory elements, the most distressing was the loss of her mother’s jewellery when it was transferred to another branch. She needs a better and more plausible explanation than the one she has been given, Mr Tinning. Above all, she deserves an apology. When you address this matter, you might look into your complaints procedure, too. When Sharon rang your Client Relations department she was to all intents and purposes stonewalled.

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

With all best wishes,

Charles

Grievers hoodwinked, run amok and bamboozled by their undertakers

10 July 2012

Charles

No comments

Categories: Embalming, funeral directors, funeral reformers

In the Bahamas some people are worried about their unregulated funeral industry, just as some British people are worried about their own unregulated funeral industry:

“Have the Bahamian people been hoodwinked, run amok, bamboozled, by persons purporting to be funeral service practitioners who are (actually) charlatans? Charlatans are impostors. Have we been hoodwinked, run amok, bamboozled by impostors in the funeral service industry?”

Grieving relatives put a sacred trust in the professional services they use when a loved one dies. Industry workers have told us that in their view all too often the public’s trust is abused.

One funeral director has been compiling a list of unqualified embalmers.

The list claims there is an uncertified worker who engages in “unethical practices,” who is hired by a number of different establishments. Speaking about the same individual, and the person’s team, another source said: “They are nasty, don’t use proper hygiene, their equipment is not up to standard, their equipment is not properly sanitised and disinfected and they do work for others.”

The list claims there is another uncertified individual, who years ago was implicated in a police investigation concerning a corpse, who is still employed in the industry.

Another funeral director says:

“The ethics in funeral services has nothing to do with what the family sees. While they are not in the embalming room with you, the standard should be straight across the board. What they don’t know, they must be assured that Mr XYZ did it the proper way.”

Very true.

Read the whole article here.