Where to be
Dying Matters Awareness Week kicks off next Monday. Over at DeadSocial, James Norris is getting his awareness-raising in early. He’s holding another of his pop-up shops — venue: 69 Camden High Street, London. On Tuesday, there was an art exhibition. Yesterday, the Natural Death Centre did its thing — lots of good stuff […]
New trade assoc sides with consumers
The National Federation of Funeral Directors, “a professional, self-regulated body, committed to increasing consumer choice and cost transparency within the funeral industry,” has become very active lately. It has launched Funeral Directors Register, which claims to be “the UK’s only comprehensive funeral care resource … a single point of reference for consumers seeking funeral directors reviews, reputable, qualified, […]
The gravestones are laughing
In Winwick Churchyard by Josh Ekroy The gravestones are laughing. They tilt at each other’s shoulders, droll tears of lichen blotching their honourable faces. Seated in uneven rows in their auditorium they note church-goers squinch the gravel path to the embossed door. Some lean backwards in mock amazement, others forward, study the half-mown grass or […]
Clarissa Tan
If you came to last year’s Good Funeral Awards weekend, you will remember Clarissa Tan. She was the journalist from the Spectator magazine. She had breast cancer. The piece she wrote afterwards inspired the name of this year’s get-together in Bournville: the Ideal Death Show. Clarissa has died of breast cancer aged 42. ‘I am […]
Lighten our darkness
Last Friday I met the theatre lighting designer who’s interested in helping undertakers light their chapels of rest more effectively. I shall call him Wayne, for that is his name. 20 years in a senior position with the Royal Shakespeare Company and now freelancing in Europe and beyond. Our venue was the chapel of rest at […]
Keep the red flag flying
Posted by Richard Rawlinson The late Tony Benn and I share in common Bristol City FC, a team in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Known as the Robins due to their red home strip, I came late to their fan-base as a part-time resident of Clifton, whereas Benn supported the team […]
Calling all family FDs who’d like to be on telly
Posted by Sarah Rubin of Dragonfly TV Dragonfly Film and TV are currently developing a brand new observational documentary series about a family-run funeral business. We want this to be a warm, sensitive and very moving series, capturing the different ways in which people say goodbye to their loved ones and recognising and celebrating […]
It’s what they don’t tell you
Two questions sent by the GFG to Nottinghamshire CC registrars on 30 Jan 2014. The first relates to the marketing of Notts CC civil celebrants. The second relates to the proposed ‘Living Eulogy’ service as outlined here. Question 1 In your bereavement guide you advertise (pp 25 28) the services of your in-house funeral celebrants. In the text there is […]
All that we are not
Back in the day – it feels like pre-history but it’s only 5 years – there was very little buzz around death (poor metaphor, I know). Now there’s an ear-shattering din. Back then, in a spirit of open-minded curiosity, I’d blog up anything that caught my eye — arty stuff, Goth stuff, silly stuff, serious […]
In your prayers
Some sharp comment here in Monday’s Times by David Aaronovitch: Death prattle Pieties are by no means always religious. I don’t know when the practice began in this country of appending “our thoughts are with etc” to any tribute to the recently departed, but it has gone too far. No one can argue with saying […]
