Central England Co-op Funeralcare preparing for upcoming changes to planning and holding funerals

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 05/05/2021

Central England Co-op Funeralcare is working around the clock to ensure its funeral homes and colleagues are ready for upcoming changes to the way funerals are organised and held.

Colleagues have been working 24 hours a day to support families at their time of need throughout the pandemic and they are now getting set to help loved ones following the news from the Government that restrictions on mourners attending funerals are currently set to be lifted from 17 May.

The legal limit of 30 mourners will be removed as part of the next stage of lockdown easing. Instead, the capacity will be determined by how many people venues, such as places of worship, can safely accommodate while maintaining social distancing.

Colleagues from Central England Co-op Funeral Homes will be on hand in the run up to 17 May and beyond to advise families of local changes and restrictions and help them put together their plans accordingly.

This work will be supported by continued measures at funeral homes to keep colleagues and clients safe such as hand sanitising stations and continued innovation with the use of phone and email to help families plan the funeral of a loved one while also still being able to see people in person via an appointment.

Aiden Phillips, Senior Funeral Director, said: “As a Society, we will continue to work with the guidelines issued and operate to a COVID-19 secure environment.

“In line with government advice we will be monitoring the position as the relaxation of controls takes place and be on hand to advise families accordingly based on the local rules and regulations.

“Also, as rules continue to be relaxed, we will work closely with families to support celebrating the lives of their loved ones by helping to plan memorial events and celebrations of life.

“Our colleagues see their roles not as a job, but as a vocation, so the restrictions have really impacted them and how they want to help families.

“However, with restrictions set to be lifted in the coming weeks, we are looking forward to being able to go above and beyond to make each send off as personal as possible while still ensuring we are all as safe as possible.”

More details are available by visiting https://www.centralengland.coop/funeralcare

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 with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 7,800 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 16 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.

It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.

The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. 

It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop