Grand gesture from cremation company at national exhibition
Twenty different charities from all over the UK have benefited from a £15,000 fund after being nominated by visitors to Westerleigh Group’s stand at this year’s National Funeral Exhibition (NFE).
NFE delegates stopped by the Westerleigh Group stand to enjoy a complimentary coffee or tea, made by a professional barista, and engaged in conversations about the importance of remembering loved ones in uniquely personal ways.
As a thank you for participating, they were invited to nominate a charity to receive a donation from Westerleigh Group, which pledged to donate a total of £15,000 over the course of the three-day event.
The charities which are receiving donations are: Child Funeral Charity, Group B Strep Support, Birmingham Dogs Homes, Cancer Research UK, RAF Benevolent Fund, Children’s Air Ambulance, Alex The Leukodystrophy Charity, Cruse Bereavement Support, St Nicholas Hospice Care, Poppy Scotland, Royal British Legion, Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, Coffin Club – In Margaret’s Memory, Jasmine’s Legacy of Dreams, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, Young Minds, Child Bereavement UK, 2Wish, The Matt Gallagher Foundation, and Association of Air Ambulances.
The charities were nominated by: Jane Marshall (The Children’s Funeral Fund for England), Daniel Ginder (M K Ginder Ltd), Fi Harrison (Birmingham Dogs Home), Jo Muscroft (Vivedia), Sally Redmond (Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund), Billy Sharpe & Morgan Turnbull (The Air Ambulance Service), Emma Percival (AW Lymn Funeral Service), Sue O’Lane (Cruse Bereavement Support), Beccy Branch (PHS Group), Simon Pearson & Steve Driscoll (Golden Charter), Oaklands Funeral Services, Louise Fenton (Legacyshare), Harvey Watson Celebrant, Phillip Abbiss (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide), Lewis Knights (SEIB Insurance Brokers), Lifelia UK, Bill Blow (William Blow Independent Celebrant) and John Taplin (Open Prepaid Funerals Limited).
Debbie Smith, CEO of Westerleigh Group, said: “We want every farewell to tell a story, and we are committed to making that farewell as unique to the individual as possible.
“Our business is built on a number of core values, one of which ensures that we are assisting families with saying their final goodbye in uniquely personal ways.
“I was inspired by the stories from other industry professionals shared with me at the NFE and I am delighted that a number of charities are now also benefiting from those conversations.”