Central England Co-operative funeralcare honours the memory of Cambridgeshire historical figure
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 26/10/2016
Dedicated colleagues from Central England Co-operative funeralcare have come together to help honour the memory of a historical figure in Cambridgeshire.
Staff from Co-operative Funeralcare, in St Peters Road, Huntingdon, enlisted the help of the Society’s expert masonry team to help design and create a brand new headstone for James Alexander after the previous one had been damaged beyond repair at St Mary Magdalene Church, in Brampton, Huntingdon.
Mr Alexander was a domestic servant to the Hinchingbrooke family for more than a half a century and upon his death John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich and
Viscount of Hinchingbrooke, ordered and paid for a special headstone to mark his service.
The former slave, who originated from Africa, is well known because his son, also called James, went on to serve under Vice Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.
He is buried and commemorated by a stone in the same churchyard along with his mother and sister.
Now Mr Alexander’s place of rest has a new memorial stone thanks to Central England Co-operative funeralcare and the Society’s Community Dividend Fund.
Funeral Director Brendan Smith said: “We are so proud to have been able to help commemorate James Alexander, a notable historic figure that the community wanted to celebrate.
“We enlisted our excellent stone masons to design and create a new handcrafted stone identical to the original and I have to say that I am very impressed with the results.
“The original stone has now been buried in Mr Alexander’s burial plot.
“We are proud to have been able to play a part in remembering this important local historical figure – remembering those who have died and respecting their resting places is vital.
“We look forward to welcoming members of the public to honour his memory at a special dedication ceremony next month.”
The ceremony is set to take place at 10.45am on Sunday, 13 November.
More information about Central England Co-operative funeralcare is available by visiting https://www.centralengland.coop/funeral-services
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.
Central England Co-operative has more than 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme for 2015/16.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
For more information visit http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Jo Baldock at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop