Member Article

Local Funeral Director's Book Sales Result In Significant Charity Donation

More than £1,500 has been shared by several West Yorkshire charities after a Guiseley based funeral director wrote a book about funeral planning and vowed to donate the proceeds from it to deserving causes.

Sarah Jones, from Full Circle Funerals, which has sites in Guiseley and Bramley, published Funerals Your Way: A Person Centred Approach to Planning a Funeral, in November 2018 and hundreds of copies have now been sold through Amazon. The book provides information, suggestions and step-by-step guidance on creating funerals that truly reflect the person who has died, which is a key part of Full Circle Funerals’ ethos.

Leeds Bereavement Forum, which works to develop and improve bereavement services in Leeds, has now received a cheque for £1,017. The remainder has been shared between local hospices, such as Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People in Boston Spa, Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford and Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, near Keighley.

Sarah said: “I wrote this book to give people the information they need and to help them feel in control, at a time that can be challenging and bewildering. It helps people express their own funeral wishes and have meaningful conversations with loved ones about death and it assists anyone arranging a funeral. It is designed to support people who intend to use the services of a funeral director, but also gives inspiration to those who would rather not.

“Since Full Circle Funerals launched just over three years ago, we’ve helped hundreds of people to pre-plan and create funerals and lots of our experiences have gone into this book. It’s proving to be hugely popular and has received heaps of praise and positive reviews, which is fantastic. I always said any proceeds from book sales would be donated to good causes and to hand over more than £1,500 to local charities in its first year is extremely rewarding.”

Jane Robinson, from Leeds Bereavement Forum, said: “Our whole philosophy is about supporting people to feel confident in addressing bereavement issues and increasing awareness and understanding of the grieving process, which is exactly what this book helps to do. It’s wonderful that we’ve benefited from its success and this donation will help us to continue developing our training as well as enabling us to support more people throughout Leeds and beyond.”

Full Circle Funerals opened in Guiseley in 2016 and quickly secured a listing as a “Recommended Funeral Director” from the prestigious Good Funeral Guide. The following year it was presented with one of the funeral industry’s most prestigious awards, when it was named the Best Modern Funeral Director in the UK at The Good Funeral Awards.

In February 2019, Full Circle Funerals opened a second site in Bramley near Leeds and will open a third service in Harrogate early next year. The ethos of the company is about offering personalised support, enabling people to create meaningful funerals by giving them all the information and time that they need.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Steven Wright .