Leicestershire funeral director talks about helping grieving parents by taking pictures of their children after they have passed away
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 16/08/2017
Andy Eeley, Funeral Director at Wilf Smith and Son, in Ullesthorpe, Leicestershire, has spoken openly about what makes him passionate about his career and why he goes above and beyond to help families who have lost a loved one.
The 36-year-old spoke candidly about why he cares so much about helping people and why he dedicates his own time to continuing to support the community in which he serves and families who have lost a child.
Andy and his story now forms part of a specially created film that shines a light on his role and how he goes the extra mile outside of work to help families in need.
He said: “Being a funeral director and being able to help families is tremendously satisfying - it is not just a job, it is a vocation.
“I take so much pride in what I do and what my team does.
“Being part of the communities in which we serve is vital. We like to give back in the form of supporting charity events and volunteering but also going out and talking to people about their fears and tackling any taboos surrounding dying.
“I do this job because I love it. There is nothing more satisfying then helping a family though a funeral. People are so appreciative of what you do and helping these people is why I am a funeral director.”
Andy has worked for Central England Co-operative for four years and, using his experience as former photographer and graphic designer, decided he could continue to help people outside of work by becoming part of a special charity.
Remember My Baby was launched to offer a specialised service to those who have lost a young child. A network of photographers work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to visit families and create a suite of images to act as a lifetime of memories for them.
Andy uses his photographic background to help edit and prepare the images before they are handed to parents.
He said: “Remember My Baby is a young charity and helps families with baby loss. It was formed by a group of photographers, some of whom had suffered a loss of their own, and who wanted to help others who had been through what they had.
“They go out and do a photoshoot with the family and then they are professionally edited – all free of charge.
“This is done to help capture a lifetime of photos in one – it is a very worthwhile charity.
“I used to be a photographer and found out about the charity following a visit to a trade show.
“Then, while working at Wilf Smith and Son, I helped a family through the loss of a child. They had with them a memory book and I saw just how important it was to them. It was priceless.
“This made me think about Remember My Baby and I knew I had to get in touch straight away – I have never looked back since.
“My role for the charity involves me editing the photos and I am proud to be part of a charity that does a great job in a tough environment and provides a priceless service for families at such a difficult time.”
As well as his volunteering for Remember My Baby, Andy and his team also give up some of their time to help out at Mosaic coffee shop, in Rugby, to help support the local community and give something back. The link came about as the coffee shop is situated across from the Wilf Smith and Son funeral home, in
Main Street, Rugby.
Andy added: “The whole team enjoy volunteering at the café and it is a great fun way of giving back to the area. It allows us to talk to people about what we do and break down barriers.”
Find out more about Andy by watching a special created film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRHcDsqgPyU or by visiting http://www.centralengland.coop/funeral-services
Andy and his team offers a 24-hour service, seven days a week. In addition to arranging funerals, they are also able to offer advice on floral tributes, monumental masonry, funeral stationery, pre-paid funeral plans and probate advice. The team can be contacted on 01455 209236.
Notes to editors
The shine a light film can be embedded into your website using the code below:
<div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HRHcDsqgPyU?ecver=2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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 £927million for 2016/17. 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 2017.
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 Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop