Funeral Service Times August 2017 June 2019 | Page 6

6
DISPATCHES
Church leaders unite to
Funeral director offers to
rededicate Pelsall funeral bury Freddie Starr for free
home
Michael Fogg responded after Starr’s carer
The rededication follows a
£130,000 renovation which
has seen the premises fully
remodeled
Senior church leaders
from different faiths joined
recently bereaved families to
rededicate a Halliwell funeral
home in Pelsall following a £130,000 renovation.
The service was also attended by the mayoress of Walsall, Andrea
Longhi, who unveiled a granite plaque during the ceremony.
Reverend Prebendary Carl Ramsay, Anglican Rural Dean of Walsall,
Father Malcolm Glaze, Catholic Dean of Walsall and the parish priest
of St Francis of Assisi in Shelfield, led the prayers and read psalms.
Ramsay, vicar of St Michael and All Angels in Pelsall, also lit a
candle and blessed the two chapels of rest with holy water. They
were joined by Reverend Alison Morris, Anglican associate minister of
Pelsall, who gave a reading from the bible.
Dignity warns on profits as
deaths decrease
The funeral firm said the number of deaths in the second half of the
year would determine whether it reached its full year expectations
or not
Funeral provider Dignity’s operating performance for the first
quarter of the year was below the board’s expectations as a result
of the “significantly lower than expected number of deaths”.
For the 13 weeks to 29 March 2019, the company recorded
159,000 deaths, 12% less than last year’s figure of 181,000.
The firm said reaching its full year expectations would “rely
heavily” on the number of deaths in the remainder of 2019.
Historical data over the last 20 years indicates that the final
volume is likely to be within 3% of the previous year. If deaths were
580,000 (approximately 3% lower), underlying operating profits
for the full year could be approximately £3m to £4m lower than
originally anticipated.
During the period, the company’s underlying revenue came in at
£81.1m, 15% lower than last year’s £95.1m. It’s underlying operating
profit was recorded at £21.7m, a 42% drop from £37.5m in the same
period last year.
Mike McCollum, chief executive of Dignity, said: “Our primary
focus for 2019 remains the execution of our transformation
programme, which seeks to build a more coherent, cohesive and
technology-enabled business, geared to meeting the changing
needs of our customers, whilst remaining focused on excellent
client service. This will deliver our vision to lead the funeral sector in
terms of quality, standards and value-for-money.
“Whilst the number of deaths in 2019 may mean that our short
term financial performance is lower than we originally anticipated, I
am confident that
the changes we are
making will allow
us to generate
sustainable growth
in the medium to
long term.”
JUNE 2019
and housekeeper Nelly Georgieva said his
family hadn’t claimed his body and she
couldn’t afford the comic’s repatriation or
funeral
Funeral director Michael Fogg, of Sheffield-
based Michael Fogg Family Funeral Directors,
has offered to do late comedian Freddie Starr’s
service for free after it was reported the comic could be facing a
pauper’s funeral.
Starr was found dead in his home in Costa del Sol, Spain on 10
May, where he moved to following allegations of sexual assault in
2015 after selling his home for £700,000. He was arrested four times
between 2012 and 2014 as he denied claims that he had put his hand
up a girl’s skirt in 1974 and, despite being released without charge,
spent £960,000 on legal costs.
His carer and housekeeper Nelly Georgieva told the media none
of his family had claimed his body and said it would be expensive to
repatriate him back to the UK. Georgieva went on to say she wouldn’t
be able to afford the cost of a funeral in Spain.
In a post on Facebook, Michael Fogg wrote: “We have been in
contact an [sic] offered to pay for the repatriation and also the care
for Freddie. And no cost to anyone but us rest in peace.”
Neville Funerals appoints
new general manager
Alexander has
more than 20 years’
experience in the
funeral sector, working
her way up from
funeral arranger
to funeral director,
manager and most
recently, regional
operations manager
for Co-op Funeralcare
Neville Funerals has announced it has appointed Charmian
Alexander as its new general manager.
Alexander has more than 20 years’ experience in the funeral
sector, working her way up from funeral arranger to funeral director,
manager and most recently, regional operations manager for Co-op
Funeralcare where she oversaw more than 100 branches across
London.
The appointment comes following Neville Funerals’ recent
corporate rebrand, where Alexander will work alongside the senior
management team to support the company’s eight branches.
Alexander said: “I was already very familiar with Neville Funerals as
they have an excellent reputation within the industry. Their values are
very much aligned with my own, so I was delighted to be offered this
opportunity.
“Having worked for large national funeral directors for most of
my career I was really excited about the prospect of joining an
independent, family-owned firm. It offers me the opportunity to
play a role in the direction of the business and influence the impact
we have within the local communities. It’s a very close knit team of
highly skilled people who are passionate about what they do and I’m
looking forward to putting my skills and experience to good use.”
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