New Stoke funeral director reveals how he plans to use over 30 years experience to forge new community links
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 31/07/2017
A new Funeral Director has spoken of his plans to use his three decades of experience to support the local community in Stoke on Trent and help those who have lost a loved one.
Neil Durrant is the new Funeral Director at Forrester Brothers Funeral Directors and he has explained how he plans to use all of his knowledge to help families and be a major part of the community.
The 52-year-old said: “I started out working for the Society back in 1983 and have never looked back.
“I love my job because I know every single day I am helping families in their time of need and ensuring they can honour and remember their loved ones in the right way.
“I am very pleased to now be part of the long history of Forrester Brothers and have made it my goal to ensure that we are a vital part of the community in which we serve.”
Some of the community events already planned include a coffee morning in September for Macmillan Cancer Support and colleagues taking part in the Stoke 10k during the same month to raise money for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice.
The funeral home, based in Trentham Road, Longton, is quite unique in the fact that it has its own garden and a large area on site where families can hold a celebration for their loved ones after their funeral.
Neil and his team are also proud of their brand new fleet of hearses and limousines designed to enhance the choices on offer to those who have lost a loved one.
The new fleet is part of a near £2 million investment by Central England Co-operative Funeralcare as part of an effort to offer families more choice and to cater for a rise in demand for the personalisation of funerals.
Neil added: “We are so proud of the service we offer here at Forrester Brothers Funeral Directors and I am proud of the great team we have to support our families.
“They are long established and well known in the community – it is now my job to ensure we continue that great work and play a vital role in this area.
“Forrester Brothers Funeral Directors has been a mainstay since the 1940s and I am so pleased to part of being able to continue that tradition.”
The funeral home offers a 24-hour service, seven days a week. In addition to arranging funerals, Neil and his team 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 01782 313874
Notes to editors
Picture credit: Neil Durrant is the Funeral Director at Forrester Brothers Funeral Directors, in Stoke on Trent.
Notes to editors
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 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