Five years after we introduced a range of colourful ties for our funeral staff to wear, this month we moved into the world of animal-print fashion as we helped a family say goodbye to their mum.
The result of the family’s special request, the leopard-print ties were a stand-out feature of a funeral which also featured a lilac coffin and a hearse drawn by horses supplied by Karen Bassett and wearing lilac plumes, setting the scene for a thoroughly fitting occasion.
The funeral was put together by our Stapleford office, where our funeral arranger, Hannah, met with the family, discussed the arrangements and then put them into practice before, unusually, attending the event itself.
It was Hannah’s first time taking such an active role in a funeral, which was conducted by our director in Stapleford, Alan, and made her realise how all the hard work comes together on the day.
She said: “The ties were the family’s idea because their mum really loved leopard print, and so although they aren’t something we’ve provided before, we were happy to source them and for everyone to wear them to help set the scene.
“That, alongside the plumes and the lilac on the coffin, made a real impression and created a totally individual and fitting occasion, which is exactly what we aim to provide.
“Behind the scenes there was a lot of organising and co-ordination to take care of, and naturally there is a pressure to make sure everything runs smoothly, but when I saw everything on the day itself, all of the hard work and the emotion that goes into it was worth it.”
Hannah joined Gillotts earlier this year, having previously worked in retail, and says she was drawn to working in the funeral industry following the death of her own father and seeing first-hand how the care and attention shown to her and her family.