John Proffitt, President of the FBCA, will cut the ribbon at the gates of Essington Cemetery at 4:00pm on Thursday 11th April. Do join us there if you can as we mark the official opening of this beautiful new facility serving Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, Stafford, Sutton Coldfield, Cannock and surrounding areas..
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Essington Cemetery Official Opening Set for 11th April
Essington cemetery, a new private cemetery which covers 26 acres near Wolverhampton, will officially open on April 11th
“Firstly, families can lock in today’s prices and avoid the big increases in cost that seem to happen every year. Secondly, they can choose the exact location of their plot(s) which you can’t do with a local authority cemetery. And, if you live outside the borough, with a private cemetery you don’t have to pay the extra fees that councils charge for ‘out of area’ residents.”
Site Clearance starts at Great Hallingbury
Following the removal of the final planning restriction on the Great Hallingbury site, clearance work is now commencing. The full planning permission for the roadway and futuristic chapel should be in place during May. The first phase of the cemetery is expected to open in late summer 2019.
Respects Bereavement Services joins the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities
Now that Essington Cemetery is fully operational, the company behind this new privately owned facility is delighted to announce that it is joining the industry group that oversees all cemeteries and crematoria across the country, the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities.
Probate Fees Could Rise by 3,870% in April
In what can only be described as a stealth tax, the government is introducing a new structure of probate fees in April this year which will see some people paying thousands of pounds more at a time when they face the stress of losing a loved one. At present, everyone pays the same fee of £155 if they use the services of a solicitor or £215 when they apply in person.
Under the new rules, only those with an estate of less than £50,000 will benefit as the charge will disappear completely for them. If the estate is worth more than £300,000 the probate fee will more than treble to £750, while those handling an estate of more than £500,000 will face a ten-fold increase to £2,500. There may not be many estates in our area above the maximum level of £2 million, but the £6,000 fee that they must pay will be an increase of an eye-watering 3,870% on the current model.
At a time when funeral costs are in the regulatory spotlight, this feels like another punch in the stomach for bereaved families.
99% of Families Do Not Know Wishes of the Deceased
Perhaps the saddest statistic to come out of the Sun Life report is that only 1% of families they talked to admitted knowing the wishes of their deceased family member. How many people went without the funeral they wanted simply because they hadn’t discussed it with their nearest and dearest?
The answer surely is that death remains the final taboo – we keep putting it off until it’s too late and distressed relatives have to second guess the kind of send-off we might have wanted.
Catherine Averill appointed as Manager of Essington Cemetery
We are delighted to confirm that experienced local cemetery manager Catherine Averill is coming on board to manage the Essington cemetery – come and meet her on site to discuss your family’s memorial plans.
Paul Watson joins UKCI Board
UKCI are delighted to announce that Paul Watson has joined the board of directors in the role of Non Executive Director. He brings with him a wealth of marketing experience at the highest level of some of the world’s leading companies including Gillette, Proctor & Gamble and Grohe. Executive Chairman Graham Rowan personally brought Paul into the company: “At this stage in our development we need to make sure our branding and marketing is everything it needs to be to build our national brand. I couldn’t think of a more suitable person than Paul to lead us in this critical activity. He’s already bringing a new level of professionalism to how we operate and I look forward to a significant contribution from him”.
UKCI Second Acquisition
UKCI are pleased to announce our second acquisition in line with our growth plans to have coverage for burial space across the country.
Essington Cemetery in near Wolverhampton, West Midlands is a 26 acre site, currently with provision for over 4000 lawn and ash burials. With 6 acres of the site already developed we are in a unique position to be able to offer burials immediately.
UKCI finalise acquisition of Great Hallingbury Cemetery
UK Cemetery Investments PLC are pleased to announce the purchase of the Great Hallingbury Cemetery in Essex. With provision currently for 1400 lawn burials in an area where burial space is extremely scarce this offers an truly unique opportunity for the company and for the residents surrounding the Great Hallingbury Cemetery.
The cemetery is to be developed to an extremely high standard, with the addition of serenity gardens, columbarium and mausoleum provision to add to the 1400 plots.
We will be giving regular updates on our website with the proposed plans for the development of the chapel and further expansion to the cemetery.