SAIF Scotland and Northern Ireland (SSNI) Scottish Government liaison and quality assurance officer Joseph Murran answers why funeral directors need trade associationsThe Undercover Undertaker questioned the need for association membership.We had…
Author: Ruth Nicholas

Watchdog raps Pure Cremation TV ad
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has panned and banned a Pure Cremation TV ad for misleading people into believing they’re buying a funeral service as part of its standard offer.The long-running ad…

The Undercover Undertaker questions the value of trade associations
Lifting the lid on the funeral professionLife is full of imponderable questions and this one’s been niggling me for a while: what are the real benefits to me personally or my business…
Landmark survey of the profession’s mental health needs you to get involved
Psychotherapist Margaret Francis needs you to take part in the first large scale research into mental wellbeing in funeral serviceMost people cannot understand why we do the job we do. Working in…

Inclusion isn’t optional
W&P Legal head of partnerships and client engagement Steina McKenna explains the law protecting your LGBTQ+ clients’ rightsPride Month is a celebration of courage, visibility and progress, but inclusion absolutely cannot be…

Teddies needed to help kids bear grief
Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon has launched an urgent appeal for teddy bears to give to grieving children at funerals.The crematorium began presenting bears to bereaved youngsters in 2024 to give them something…

Spectacular send offs
“Certain funerals remain with you, not just because of their scale or setting, but because they so genuinely reflect the life of the person at their centre,” says W Uden & Sons…

The making of a modern hearse
Superior UK Automotive MD Kevin Smith uncovers the many processes involved in creation of a 21st century funeral vehicleBehind every hearse lies a complex process of engineering, craftsmanship, and collaboration. Advances in…

Charting the changes in deathcare from the 70s to the present day
In the concluding chapter charting your history and ours, funeral historian, researcher and former FSJ editor Brian Parsons charts the changes from the last 70 yearsBy 1956 The Undertakers’ Journal has been…









