Best of St Neots Archives | Kingfisher Funerals

The Fair Funeral Pledge

July 2016/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, Low Cost Funeral St Neots, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services have recently committed to the enhanced Fair Funerals pledge designed by Quaker Social Action to encourage funeral directors to put their prices online.

We believe this is a fundamental requirement for any business, and we have openly displayed our prices since the first day we opened our doors. We designed and promoted our estimate generator to allow potential clients to see how different options affected the overall cost of a funeral, as well as introducing and advertising fixed-price funerals which allow people to budget without any worry.

Not very long ago, a funeral director was interviewed on Radio 2 and asked how much a funeral cost. His answer was that he wasn’t prepared to discuss “commercially sensitive” material in public. Imagine how the general public would react if supermarkets didn’t display prices! Why are funeral directors any different?

We are also aware of a local funeral director quoting a potential client nearly £4,000 for a fairly basic funeral. The client came to see us and we quoted £2,200. The client then returned to the first funeral director and asked why they were so much more expensive. That funeral director promptly reduced his or her price to £2,000!

This lack of openness makes it difficult for people without much money to shop around and find a funeral within their budget. There are very large differences between what funeral directors charge, but without being able to check prices before speaking to a funeral director, many people don’t realise this and end up spending more than they can afford, which often leads to crippling debts.

We quote the same price to everyone. Because we openly advertise our prices, we have to. We just wouldn’t feel comfortable halving the price we quoted a potential client in order to undercut another funeral director.

We recommend and encourage potential clients to talk to several funeral directors before appointing one. Shopping around is quite acceptable, and the difference in service is sometimes unbelievable.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in Huntingdon and St Neots. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Kingfisher Funerals win UK Funeral Services of the Year 2016

April 2016/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

We are very proud to have won the title of UK Funeral Services of the Year for the second year running.

The competition is organised by The Best Of – a UK-wide business with franchises in many towns and cities in the country. Winners are chosen based on the number of positive testimonials they receive from clients during the year. The testimonials are verified before being accepted.

We strive to be the best funeral directors in our local area, and in particular in Huntingdon and St Neots. Our independence allows us to stand out amongst local competitors because we are able to encourage our clients to do whatever is right for them when it comes to arranging a funeral. We are not under any pressure to sell expensive or unnecessary items, and we genuinely make sure that each and every one of our clients is treated as an individual.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services continues to grow as a business. As more and more local funeral directors are bought by large, faceless, corporate companies, we thrive on being open and honest about our ownership, our services and our costs. We believe that we are the only funeral directors in Cambridgeshire to openly display all of our prices on our website.

We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).We are very proud to have won the title of UK Funeral Services of the Year for the second year running.

Avoid Delays Before Funerals by Choosing an Independent Funeral Director

January 2016/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Hunts Post, Independent Funeral Director, Low Cost Funeral St Neots, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

Here’s our latest full page advert, which appeared in The Hunts Post last week. Click on it to bring it up to full size.

Particularly at this time of year, we often hear about long delays between death and a funeral, and how funeral directors tell their clients that the crematorium is full.

In reality, by being flexible, we can almost always find a way of organising a funeral without a lengthy delay.

Large, corporate funeral directors are often conducting funerals for many different offices, so are restricted by the practicalities of vehicle movements and staff whereabouts. But instead of telling their clients this, they blame it on the crematorium.

Small, independent funeral directors are focussed on providing a service to their clients rather than maximising profits for their shareholders. Because of this, we can usually avoid delays with funerals.

We recommend and encourage potential clients to talk to several funeral directors before appointing one. Shopping around is quite acceptable, and the difference in service is sometimes unbelievable.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in Huntingdon and St Neots. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Rise in Number of ‘Pauper’ Funerals

December 2015/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Hunts Post, Independent Funeral Director, Low Cost Funeral St Neots, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

Media attention continues to focus on the rise in the number of ‘pauper’ funerals (ie those provided by the local council because families cannot afford them).

As prices of funerals soar, so the number of people facing financial difficulty to fund them rises.

As a company, we are committed to keeping the cost of funerals as low as possible. We do this by rejecting the corporate approach of upselling, and by focussing on the emotional benefit of a funeral.

“We don’t tell you what you need, we listen to what you want.”

Look out for our new, full page advert which is due to appear in The Hunts Post this week. It explains that funerals don’t have to be expensive, and encourages people to speak to several funeral directors before making their decision who to appoint.

We recently saved a client over £1500 simply because she shopped around.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in Huntingdon and St Neots. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Helping Make Huntingdon Dementia-Friendly

October 2015/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Hunts Post, Independent Funeral Director /by andyh

In recent months the forecast increase of dementia has been highlighted in the media and recognised as a global health challenge. With a predicted 40% increase in the next 12 years there will be few of us whose lives are not affected directly or indirectly by dementia.

We have offered our premises in Huntingdon on Monday 16th November 2015 to ‘training2care’ to enable them to carry out the Virtual Dementia Tour. This training is the only scientifically proven method of giving people with a healthy brain an experience of what dementia might be like.

The Virtual Dementia Tour is a unique, interactive training experience that is proven to improve communication and care for professionals in the health and care industries, those caring for their loved ones or individuals just wanting to know more about dementia. Meeting someone with dementia can be a daunting experience, because sometimes we do not know how to deal with the situation.

This ‘tour’ will hopefully enable people to identify with and better understand the behaviours and needs of those affected by dementia. There is a fee of £23.99 for each participant. If you would like more information about the tour or to book a place please call us on (01480) 412938.

Please Support our Easter Egg Appeal

March 2015/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Hunts Post, Independent Funeral Director, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

Kingfisher Funerals of St Neots and Huntingdon are collecting Easter Eggs to give to sick children this Easter. We will present all the eggs we collect to children on Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in the hope that we can bring smiles to some small faces at this celebratory time of year.

The Hunts Post carries a picture of Scott, Nicola and Philip clutching as many eggs as possible, on page 2 this week.

We have already been astounded by the generosity of people dropping Easter Eggs in to our offices, and we assure you that every gift, no matter how small, really will be gratefully received.

If you would like to donate an Easter Egg, please feel free to drop it in to either of our offices during normal opening hours.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in Huntingdon and St Neots. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Kingfisher Funerals win Best in Category 2015

March 2015/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, Low Cost Funeral St Neots, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

2015 is the fourth consecutive year we’ve been in the top five best-loved funeral directors in the UK. In 2012 we came fifth, in 2013 we moved up one place, last year we came third, and this year we are very proud to announce that we have become the winners of the category in the annual Local and Loved awards.

The awards are run by The Best Of – a UK-wide business with franchises in many towns and cities in the country. Winners are chosen based on the number of positive testimonials they receive from clients during the year. The testimonials are verified before being accepted.

We strive to be the best funeral directors in our local area, and in particular in Huntingdon and St Neots. Our independence allows us to stand out amongst local competitors because we are able to encourage our clients to do whatever is right for them when it comes to arranging a funeral. We are not under any pressure to sell expensive or unnecessary items, and we genuinely make sure that each and every one of our clients to be treated as an individual.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services continues to grow as a business. As more and more local funeral directors are bought by large, faceless, corporate companies, we thrive on being open and honest about our ownership, our services and our costs. We believe that we are the only funeral directors in Cambridgeshire to openly display all of our prices on our website.

We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Dignity Acquires T L Cobbold Funeral Directors in St Neots

December 2014/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, Low Cost Funeral St Neots, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

T L Cobbold Funeral Directors of St Neots, together with Woodman & Sons of Biggleswade and Cecil Newling of Royston, have been sold to Dignity plc. Dignity is a huge company, which, according to Wikipedia is the largest provider of funeral services in the UK. Their own website states that they own more than 690 ‘funeral locations’ and operate 39 crematoria.

Speculation that Lodge Bros would sell the businesses was aroused in March 2014 when the freeholds to the three premises were sold by auction, with provisos that they were leased back to the business with 15 year contracts.

Dignity already owns William Peacock Funeral Directors in Huntingdon, Swearers of Ramsey, Clarabut & Plumbe in Bedford, Harry Williams & Sons and Weyman Funeral Services in Cambridge. The acquisition of three more funeral directors in our locality leads us to call for much clearer declarations of ownership. The vast majority of people who deal with funeral directors under the ownership of large, corporate companies, believe they are dealing with small, local individuals.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are rightly and justly proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in St Neots and Huntingdon. We take huge pride in providing a personal and individual service to each and every client. We are open and honest about our independence. We hide absolutely nothing. We display our prices on our website, and we believe we offer the very best value available in the local area. Small, independent funeral directors’ charges are almost always lower than those of large, corporate funeral directors.

We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

A Long-Distance Funeral

November 2014/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

We felt hugely privileged to be asked to host the funeral of Jorge Resende yesterday. A lot of Jorge’s family live in Portugal, as does a close family friend who is also a priest.

Our challenge was to bring everyone close together using technology, which we achieved with the help of Skype and a large television screen.

Friends in Huntingdon gathered at our premises in Princes Street at 8pm, at the same time as the priest and members of the family met at the family home in Portugal. A Skype link was then set up so that both parties could see each other.

The service was conducted in Portuguese with participation from both countries during the live link.

The atmosphere at Princes Street ensured that everyone felt welcome and able to relax, and lots of emotion was experienced when people who had not met for a long time saw each other on the big screen. The premises were ideal for an occasion such as this.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in St Neots and Huntingdon. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (St Neots) 01480 471001 or (Huntingdon) 01480 412938, or call in and see us at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX or 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar).

Huntingdon Funeral Directors Firmly Establishing Presence in Town

July 2014/0 Comments/in Best of St Neots, Funeral Director, Good Funeral Guide, Huntingdon, Huntingdon Funeral Director, Independent Funeral Director, St Neots, St Neots Funeral Director /by andyh

Today marks 12 weeks since we opened the doors to our new office in Huntingdon, and what a roller coaster ride it has turned out to be!

We have been extremely privileged to have been asked to arrange far more funerals that we had ever imagined, with clients frequently citing our friendly and open approach as the reason they have chosen us.

Many people have told us how nice it is to see the building in use again, and the fresh coats of paint, both external and internal, have given what had turned into a run-down premises a new lease of life.

As soon as people walk into our office, they comment on the light, airy feel that it has, and the stunningly colourful kingfisher canvas on the wall. The atmosphere we strive to create is the same as at our St Neots office – warm, welcoming and approachable.

The photograph shows Nicola, Scott and Andrew in the reception area in Princes Street.

Kingfisher Independent Funeral Services are proud to be the only locally-owned, fully independent funeral directors in Huntingdon and St Neots. We are recommended locally on The Best of St Neots and nationally by The Natural Death Centre. Visit our Huntingdon website or our St Neots website, telephone us on (Huntingdon) 01480 412938 or (St Neots) 01480 471001, or call in and see us at 10-10A Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA (opposite the registrar) or at Gate Lodge, Cemetery Road, St Neots PE19 2BX.