Before the Tributes family began drawing breath to extinguish the 30 candles burning patiently upon their cake, they did what most do at a milestone celebration. Reminisce.

Tori Bush, Sales Director, recalls the first ever order for the company, who originally supplied Pet Crematoria, “It was Dad’s first order: 700 wooden caskets, and everyone was involved, even eight-year-old me! An assembly line of caskets and baize covered the living room floor to the tune of the Eastenders omnibus.”

Tributes founder Richard Bush branched into the human funeral industry with a desire for quality and innovation. When his sister passed away, disappointed with the scattering options available to say goodbye, he developed a product which is now an industry staple – the Scatter Tube.

When asked by a funeral director to develop a relocatable urn for buried ashes, the response was the HighDown Urn. Beautiful, personalised, and most importantly, relocatable. All of Tributes’ products are designed as elegant and compassionate solutions.

Ricky and I loaded up the van and drove through the night from Arundel to Aberdeen

If innovation is the central pillar of Tributes, the support given to their customers is the foundation.

“Ricky and I loaded up the van and drove through the night from Arundel to Aberdeen,” recounts Marie of the time a coffin was urgently needed within 24 hours. “Not only did we get it to the funeral directors in time, but I also made my Zumba class!”

“There was the time a customer in Nairn couldn’t get hold of an urn from any supplier for love nor money.” Enter Rick. An integral part of Tributes since 1999, working in every role going until settling down in Customer Care, he answered the call and by chance was travelling to Inverness the next day on holiday, so he met the very grateful customer at the airport, with his last-minute travel partner: the Serenity Urn.

“Long before Dulux produced their football team colour charts”, Candy smiles as she thinks back, “I had to take my commemorative Tottenham shirt off the wall to be colour matched in-store for a bespoke coffin.”

The number of stories seem as endless as the enthusiasm in which they are told. When asked what drives the team to go above and beyond, the response was rapid, unwavering, and simple, “We’re a family helping other families.”
If this is what Tributes can achieve in their first 30 years, we can’t wait to see what happens in the next.