Most Promising New Funeral Director

Winner: Poppy Mardall

Runner-up: Stacey Bentley

Embalmer of the Year

Winner: Liz Davis

Runner-up: Angie Maclachlan.

The Eternal Slumber Award for Coffin Supplier of the Year

Winner: Yuli Somme

Runner-up: Roger Fowle.

Most Significant Contribution to the Understanding of Death

 Winner: Jean Francis

Runner-up: Pia Interlandi

Crematorium Attendant of the Year

Winner: Andy Barlow, Colwyn Bay crematorium.

Runner-up: Mandy Ryan and Martin McEvilly, Redditch crematorium

Best Internet Bereavement Resource

Winner: Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds for Say Their Name, a video made for the Compassionate Friends — http://beyondgoodbye.co.uk/?page_id=3918

Runner-up: Teresa Evans — http://evansaboveonline.co.uk/

The Blossom d’Amour Award For Funeral Floristry

Winner: Heather Gorringe

Runner-up: Donald Thornford

Funeral Celebrant of the Year

Winner: Barbara Millar

Runner-up: Lynne Watson

Cemetery of the Year

Winner: Rotherfield Greys

Runner-up: Sun Rising

Gravedigger of the Year

Winner: Stuart Goodacre from Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

Runner-up: Paul Rackham from Diss in Norfolk

Best Funeral Arranger

Winner: Dee Besley – Rosedale Funeral Home

Runner-up: Angela Bailey — Harrison Funeral Home

The Bereavement Register Funeral Director of the Year

Winner: John Harris — T Cribb & Sons

Runner-up David Summers — AW Lymn, The Family Funeral Service

GreenAcres Woodland Burials Green Funeral Director of the Year

Winner: Rosie Grant, Natural Endings

Association of Green Funeral Directors Greenest Funeral Director in the AGFD

Leverton & Sons

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Paula Rainey Crofts

Runner-up: Josefine Speyer

This Good Funeral Awards ceremony constituted just one event in a weekend of countless highlights which brought together, in a spirit of amity and good felllowship,  more than 100 people of all sorts who work with the bereaved. More to follow. If you’d like to write about how it was for you, please send your copy to: charles@goodfuneralguide.co.uk

A HUGE thank you to Brian Jenner, without whose inspiration and tireless organisation the Good Funeral Awards weekend would be no more than a very good idea.