With the deeply upsetting news surrounding a funeral director in Hull who has now been sent to prison, we feel it is important to comment.
Cases such as this are extremely rare within our profession, but when they do happen, understandably they shine a spotlight on every funeral director and can leave families wondering what happens after they place someone they love into our care.
For the vast majority of us, funeral directing is far more than a job. It is a vocation. We enter this profession because we genuinely care about people and want to support families through some of the most difficult days of their lives.
We have long advocated for proper regulation of the funeral profession. It remains one of the few professions where someone can establish a funeral business without the level of checks, oversight and regulation that we believe families have every right to expect.
Franklin & Hawkins are proud members of both funeral trade associations the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) and have been since day one when we founded the Company. We choose to belong voluntarily and actively follow their codes of practice, inspections and best-practice guidance.
But membership remains voluntary, and there are still funeral directors who choose to operate without belonging to either organisation.
We are also members of the British Institute of Embalmers (BIE) as we commit to provide our families with the highest standard of care.
Anyone who has entrusted a loved one into our care will know the standards of dignity, respect and compassion we expect from ourselves every single day. Families and friends are welcome to visit their loved one, and we have always believed that openness and transparency are an important part of the trust placed in us.
However, following the recent news from Hull, we recognise that people may have questions they have never previously thought to ask. Please take this time to contact us: you don’t need to have arranged a funeral with us.
Simply come in, meet us.
Ask us questions.
If you wish to have an open visit to see our facilities and understand how we care for your loved ones, all we would ask is that it is by appointment, purely to protect the privacy and dignity of the families we are caring for. Have a look and fully understand exactly what happens when somebody is entrusted into the care of Franklin & Hawkins Family Funeral Directors. There are no questions you should feel uncomfortable asking.
We hope that by opening our doors, answering questions and showing people exactly how we work, we can provide some reassurance at a time when understandably many people may be feeling concerned.
We believe trust should never simply be expected because of the profession we work in. It should be earned.
Finally, our sincere thoughts and condolences are with every family affected by the terrible events in Hull.
What they have endured is unimaginable, and they deserved so much better.
