November 2015

 
Welcome to the Conference 2015 Update
 

Once again a good number of our members gathered for the 2015 IoCF Conference, which began on the Friday evening with a buffet and quiz. The general knowledge of the teams was stretched to its limits - and beyond! - by our quizmaster, Blue Donnebaer.
 

Blue presents to the winning quiz team

Day One

After welcoming everyone, IoCF Chairman, Christine Ogden reviewed yet another busy year for the Institute.

The Council of Management has overseen several changes this year, ranging from the re-branding of the Institute (new logo, strapline and golden rose, plus associated changes to stationery, resources and merchandise) to the revision of the admissions policy for new members (to include those not trained by CCL but with equivalent, recognised qualifications, expertise and experience).

Promotion of the IoCF and the work of its members was ongoing through the year, with regular articles appearing in trade publications and attendance at funeral industry events, including the National Funeral Exhibition. Broadcasting the high standards of IoCF members in the delivery of funeral ceremonies was the main focus of the year to ensure that the excellent reputation of the Institute is recognised in an ever expanding profession.

Membership subscription was, as ever, used for administration, advertising, membership support and events organisation (including the Best Practice Day held in April). Our financial position is now such that we are able to fund further benefits for members - updating and revision of the website is the first priority for 2016.

Delegates were urged to put forward suggestions as to where future investment in the Institute might be spent: e.g. professional indemnity insurance; marketing or counselling support services etc.

Anne Barber, IoCF President, endorsed the hard work of the Council of Management in moving the Institute forward and updated members on the current level of training offered by CCL including advanced training units towards the Level 4 Diploma.
 

Janice Thomson, Alistair Butler and Carole Codd participants on the very first CCL Funeral Celebrant training course

 
The conference keynote speaker, Alun Tucker, Executive Chairman of SAIF, talked about the work of his organisation in supporting its members through the rapid changes occurring in the profession. He acknowledged the 'plethora of celebrants' promoting themselves to funeral businesses and advised IoCF members to always visit funeral homes by appointment and, if possible, to explain their services to all the funeral arrangers employed by the company. He explained how arranging a funeral ceremony has become much more complex for funeral directors, as they try to ensure families are able to make as many choices as possible; he suggested that the increased expectations of families are possibly adding to the increasing costs of funerals, creating a further problem for funeral businesses with the rise in funeral poverty.

Matthew and Kathy Hall, of Dodge UK, described the vital and amazing job they do in disaster deployment following natural events and in war zones all over the world. They explained the risks and challenging conditions they face when working in remote areas or amongst different cultures to restore even the smallest physical memento of human remains to the deceased's family; dignity and respect for the deceased person being uppermost in their operation at all times.

Blue Donnebaer, Blue AV, stepped in front of the microphone, in a brief break from managing our conference AV so efficiently, to update delegates on the products which his company manufactures and installs in crematoria and chapels throughout the country - lecterns, monitors, sound systems and catafalques that not only make the life of the celebrant easier but also enhance the dignity of the ceremony for the bereaved families.

A Crystal Voice Coaching session led by Andrew Hamel-Cooke to start the afternoon ensured that everyone knew how to find their voice ... and to never believe it when they are told they can't sing!

Heather Kennedy, the Fair Funeral campaign manager for Quaker Social Action, discussed the increasing problem of funeral poverty and explained the strategies taken by her charity to alleviate this for families through their 'Fair Funerals' campaign. It was recognised that funeral poverty could impact on those of our members who may find themselves being regularly asked to reduce their fees if they work for a company who takes on a large number of DHS funerals.

Ken West, MBE, author and retired funeral arranger delivered a fascinating paper on 'The emergence of the celebrant'. His talk charted the history of the celebrant, analysing how changes in society's requirements at the time of a funeral have so strongly influenced the development of our role. He posed many leading questions, such as, 'Is the celebrant the key to the success of a funeral?' and 'Does the creation of a definition of a civil ceremony (such as that written by the IoCF) in itself create a dogma that influences how such ceremonies are viewed?' He concluded that, being the most important part of a funeral, the ceremony, and the arrangement and delivery of it, will evolve markedly ... maybe to the point of a 'celebrant led' arranging process rather than one driven by the funeral director. Hopefully, Ken will be making his full paper available to the Institute in the very near future.

Finally, Paul Clews, Anatomy Manager at Keele University School of Medicine, spoke about the processes involved in body donation for medical teaching and research, including the legalities of the bequeathment process, the reasons for acceptance or rejection of a body (before or at the time of death), and the funeral arrangements after such use. He provided insight and an understanding of the process which would help celebrants to empathise with the upset and distress which some families may face when a bequest to science has not worked as they had planned.

 
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.

» AGM 2015 Minutes
» Chairman's Report
» Accounts

 
Saturday evening was the Presentation Dinner at which the Chairman presented certificates in acknowledgement of their hard work to Neil Hopkins (Going the extra mile for families); Lindis Pattison-Tadman (Excellent scripts and feedback) and Sally Band, retiring Council member, (Promotion of the Institute).

President Anne Barber then presented the 'Marilyn Watts Award' on behalf of the Council of Management to Viv O'Neill for her services to the IoCF as a former Council member, conference organiser, trainer and mentor and a fierce defender of the Institute's high standards.

The evening concluded with an after-dinner speech (and a sing-along!) from IoCF member and retiring Council member, Andrew Hamel-Cooke.
 

Anne presents the Marilyn Watts Award to Viv

Christine Rose and Sally Band

 
Day Two

To ensure that everyone had plenty of time to chat and network with fellow celebrants, council members and speakers - or to drink plenty of coffee, for those who had stayed the course of two very late nights! - just three sessions were delivered by speakers on Sunday morning.

Wendy Coulton, a civil funeral celebrant, shared her passion and drive to provide unique and personal choices for the families she works with in her hometown of Plymouth. Through hard work and sheer determination Wendy has managed to get both the council and funeral directors 'on side' to enable funeral ceremonies to be held in venues all over the city - the success of which she puts down to the excellent relationships she has built up with local funeral businesses, working in partnership to provide the best possible ceremony for every family.

In complete contrast, Tim Daw, founder and owner of All Cannings Long Barrow, explained how his newly built 'Neolithic' burial mound came about through his great interest in archaeology and a wish to see if one could be made. He discussed with conference how he has witnessed a growing need for families to have a significant spot in which to leave their loved one's ashes. To date, the ashes placed in the individual niches in All Cannings have not been put there with any special accompanying ceremony but, as Tim's idea is now being taken and replicated throughout the country, it's possible that before long, bereaved families will be looking to celebrants to provide some ritual.

Finally, IoCF member, Alison Kirkham, discussed what makes a 'high profile funeral': the death of a national or local celebrity ... an infamous death (for all the wrong reasons) ... media / social media coverage (for whatever reason)? Having much experience of all the above, Alison talked about the tips and pitfalls in delivering a personal and meaningful ceremony. Delegates were invited to share anecdotes of their 'high profile' ceremonies. The conclusion was, of course, that for every family the funeral of their loved one is high profile. Which leads to the question do we, as celebrants, always ensure that we treat every funeral, every deceased person, in the same way, no matter what their story or accompanying 'hype' is?
 

Blue and Julie receiving their thank you gifts

 
Such varied topics and speakers ensured that there was 'something for everyone' throughout the conference weekend and we hope everyone was left with much to think about. There were, as ever, common (and recurring) threads of interest and concern running through the different sessions: the rapid changes taking place in our industry; how those changes will impact on IoCF celebrants; and, indeed, what impact we can make within the profession!

What was very clear was that the focus of every one of our speakers when carrying out their work, whatever their area of specialism, chimed completely with that of IoCF members - the respect and care for the deceased and the person they were, along with sensitivity for their family, is pivotal to all that we do.

Christine Ogden
Chair