January 2021

As we reflect back on 2020, due to COVID it was an unprecedented year both for the bereavement industry and our company.

I am proud to announce that Curtis Snashfold has joined the company assisting Sharon in providing office support. Curtis has been working on the new website, completing payroll duties and formatting company reports.

As the biggest supplier of emergency assistance to the bereavement sector in the UK, we had to overcome significant challenges to enable us to assist all authorities that were in need of our help.

Lee has spent the last 6 months providing interim management assistance to two authorities, one in Staffordshire, one in Sussex.

Lee now has 3 pieces of consultancy to complete, a strategic review, a feasibility study and needs assessment and a memorial review.

James has spent the last 5 months providing administration assistance for a Midlands authority with both Melissa and Ollie providing constant cremator technician cover wherever needed.

Several of our associates have also been providing emergency assistance to authorities, all of whom have delivered client service excellence.

As I enter my 40th year in the industry, I am so proud of the service we offer as a company. Our staff deliver the standards of service consistently that we have become synonymous with and I am thankful to each and every one of them.

June 2020

With COVID-19 cases peaking in May, we have found our services in very high demand. We have been providing 13 staff at once, 12 qualified cremator technicians and 1 chapel attendant, to help various authorities across the UK.

We have added a further member of staff to our full time team of people and welcome Bethany Keen to the company. Beth becomes our 6th full time member of staff and is providing chapel attendant assistance to a London authority at present.

Since our last update in April, James and Ollie have both become qualified cremator technicians and provided assistance to a private multi crematorium owner throughout May, both travelling to various sites. Both are assisting a local authority throughout June. With such a high demand we are lucky to have James and Ollie to help us meet it.

The demand for our assistance has meant we have increased our associate numbers too and can now offer 17 qualified cremator technicians to the industry, a number unrivalled anywhere else in the UK.

April 2020

The emergence of COVID-19 has seen requests for our services increase dramatically. With key staff having to self isolate, we now have staff providing cover into July and are providing an average of 9 people per week to authorities.

The increase has seen us grow our full time employees to 5 and we welcome James Webster and Oliver Gidman to the company. James and Oliver are currently undergoing their Cremator Technician training. Once fully qualified, they will be providing interim assistance to authorities joining Melissa and our many associates out in the field.

In such trying times, the company is doing all it can to help bereavement services respond to the challenges at present. In an industry so specialised as ours, staff are uniquely trained and hard to find cover for. We hope the help we can provide manages to calm nerves as we uphold the great standards already set by our clients.

To the bereavement industry, we really are the 4th emergency service.