November 2014

 
Welcome to the latest edition of the Institute Update

A very warm welcome to our newest members:
        Sue Homer, Adrian Eden, Linda Cantillon-Guyatt and Peter Collis.
 

Conference 2014

The first evening of the 2014 IoCF Conference, held at Hillscourt, Rednal, just outside Birmingham, was more like the gathering of a coven as the Institute members joined in the fun of Hallowe'en fancy dress for the, now traditional, quiz and social evening.

Day One
Conference began in earnest on the Saturday morning with a welcome from the IoCF chairman, Christine Ogden B.Sc, Dip CFC, and an overview of the preceding year: the tenth anniversary year of the Institute. In acknowledging just how far civil funeral ceremonies and celebrants have come over the past decade, the Chairman paid tribute to the hard work of the Council of Management to ensure that it fulfilled its duties under the Memorandum of Association to uphold quality in funeral ceremonies, provide support and professional development for celebrants and to promote civil funerals throughout the funeral profession. New member benefits had been introduced and consolidated during the year 2013-2014: public liability insurance, photo ID cards and free listing on a funeral services website.

The tenth anniversary had been marked through the summer, not only with a celebration and Best Practice day, but also with the launch of a new golden rose logo, as part of a wider promotional campaign to raise the profile of the Institute as the beacon organisation for standards and quality in the delivery of funeral ceremonies. In conclusion, the Chairman affirmed that the IoCF was in a strong position to enter its second decade with confidence to meet the challenges and changes facing the funeral industry.

The conference keynote speaker, Alan Slater MBE, CEO of the NAFD, expanded on those changes and challenges and their implication to all service providers in the industry: changing expectations amongst the public for the kind of funeral ceremony they want, along with a decline in the death rate at the present time, means that all funeral businesses are having to evolve to keep up with the market trends. He reinforced the message that, like the IoCF, the NAFD's prime focus was to support their membership in maintaining the high standards laid down in the association's Codes of Practice.

Alan Jeffrey, director of Wesley Music, made a very welcome return to conference. He also spoke of the work his company is doing with increased technology to meet the modern expectations of the public in funeral ceremonies: not just the music track of their choice but also photographic tribute presentations, webcasts, DVDs and full interaction between all involved in the arranging of a funeral.

The next speaker was Emma Restall Orr of Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground and Nature Reserve, in Warwickshire. Emma spoke of the challenges of ethically managing a natural burial ground in a sustained way for future generations whilst meeting the modern needs of bereaved families.

Geoff Price from Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) gave conference a very personal insight into the stages of grief experienced by families bereaved by suicide which are very different from those affected by any other sudden death. He spoke of the understanding, skills and strategies which all those supporting a family at such time need, not least the funeral celebrant: most importantly, for the family to be allowed to talk about their loved one and to be listened to in their wishes for what should be said within the funeral ceremony.

Janice Thomson, a quality assessor for the IoCF, delivered an interesting paper on the history of the eulogy and its importance as a memorial to the deceased, providing the Institute members with some helpful advice on what makes a good tribute a great tribute.

Finally, Peter Mitchell, a technical and legal expert in the fields of burial, cremation and exhumation, explained the complex reasons for, and processes involved, when exhumation takes place, whether for a single person or the safe and dignified re-interment of an entire burial ground. He reminded conference that re-burial after exhumation, regardless of how many years have passed since the death, is still a funeral situation and part of a grieving process for surviving family members in some situations.

Day One ended with the Annual General Meeting of the IoCF with positive reports on both its financial state and its respected position within the funeral profession.

At a Presentation Dinner on the Saturday evening, the Chairman presented several awards.
 

The evening concluded with a highly amusing 'alternative' anniversary after-dinner speech from IoCF member, Chris Woods.

Day Two
The next day's session began with a seminar led by Christine Ogden to discuss how council and Institute members alike can work together to get the message out amongst funeral arrangers and the public that the IoCF is the market leader in funeral celebrancy. The gold badge worn by every Institute member is now widely recognised as representing a gold standard service and, through the coming year, we aim to inform as many people as possible that that means quality assurance for every funeral ceremony carried out by an IoCF celebrant.

Julie Dunk, Technical Services and Events Manager for the Institute of Cemeteries and Crematoria Managers updated conference on the challenges facing her branch of the industry: from funeral poverty, new legislation regarding baby cremation and, at a time when the sustainability of cremation is under consideration, the growth in natural burials and other methods of disposal.

Three speakers very closely connected with the IoCF ended conference with sessions which were both informative and supportive to all the delegates: retiring council member Sarah Willis discussed with conference the benefits of being part of a regional group meeting of IoCF members, both to share experiences and best practice and as self-help support to off-load to those who understand the stressful side of celebrancy work; Anne Barber explained the value, need and workings of the newly formed Child Funeral Charity, of which she is a trustee and, finally, Sharon Oldham of Siserone Ltd, the Institute's website management company, speaking under the title of 'Brave New Online World' explained many of the current innovations in information technology and how delegates might use them effectively, whilst maintaining personal safety and security on-line at all times.

The diversity of papers and presentations this year made the 2014 conference informative, enlightening and entertaining. Once again, an underlying 'thread' connected the messages that came out of every session and this year it was that the funeral profession as a whole is facing changes and challenges. However, all those organisations, from whichever area of the industry, have the same objective and passion to provide the funeral ceremony that is perfect for the family concerned, from enabling their overall wishes to be fulfilled down to the smallest details ... exactly what the Institute of Civil Funerals stands for and will continue to do so for the next ten years.

Best wishes
Christine Ogden
 

 
Admin News

Insurance
By now you should all have received your current insurance certificate from Pellatt Insurance - please contact Barbara (barbara@iocf.org.uk) if this is not the case.
 

West End Theatre Tickets
Discounts are available through Westendtheatre.com for many West End shows. Details of these will be posted on the Forum in the News and Updates section. If you are interested and would like to see complete details please contact Barbara (barbara@iocf.org.uk) and she will forward the original email to you. This month's offers include: up to 43% off The Snowman, up to 32% off The Wind in the Willows, up to 25% off Slava's Snowshow and up to 42% off The Commitments.
 

IoCF Stationery
To order IoCF items, contact Barbara (barbara@iocf.org.uk).

Overprinted leaflets - 12p each
Business cards - a sliding scale dependent upon quantity
Headed Paper (50 sheets) - £6
Compliment Slips (50 slips) - £6
Zipped Writing Case - £20
Presentation Folder - £10

 

 
Database Statistics

Here are the stats for June 2014.

Total number of booking forms logged: 604

 
2014 Diary Dates

 
2015 Diary Dates

 
And Finally ...

Congratulations to the following members who have reached another milestone in their work:
        Judith Talbot and John Lewing.
 

And thank you for reading.
Barbara