Choosing to have a funeral in a funeral director’s service room offers a range of added benefits to families, especially during the current climate where social distancing is still in force and limits to attendees is a changing picture. The scope of choice is no...
Further coverage of Vinnie’s Cot, donated by Natalie and Callum Laidlaw in memory of their son Vinnie. Earlier this month, the cot was donated to William Purves, enabling families throughout the North East region to spend more time at home. Read more about...
When it comes to your funeral, or that of a loved one, you need to trust who you choose to help with the arrangements. It’s not a purchase you make every day and it’s often influenced by who your families and friends have used in the past or who is nearest. Sometimes...
As published in the Edinburgh Evening News 10 May 2021, Andrew Purves encourages people to start a conversation about death and dying with loved ones, make some decisions, so they will have the best plan in place before they die. If Covid‐19 has taught us anything, it...
Time waits for no man and this month I celebrate reaching the milestone of sixty years. Is that possible, already? Over half of, what seems a very brief lifetime, I have been a Funeral Director. Over thirty years, in a profession where traditions are so jealously...
You’ve heard the phrase: “there are two certainties in life: death and taxes.” What’s less well known is that planning ahead for one’s funeral tomorrow can actually help improve their tax position today. And as the tax-year end approaches, interest in...
At a time of significant restrictions, Andrew Purves gives perspective on the debate surrounding roles and responsibilities in the face of unexpected crowds attending Scottish funerals. His comments were in response to the Scottish Health Minister’s reminder that...
As one of the UK’s most popular Christmas carols, various versions of In the Bleak Midwinter are cheerfully sung in churches, village halls and high streets throughout December. Roll on a few weeks and I can assure you, there are fewer places bleaker in...
Tim Purves vigorously defends the role of funeral directors following a high profile fine imposed on an English firm for not policing unexpected crowds in The Scotland on Sunday newspaper. Funeral directors ‘should not be responsible’ for policing mourner...
Today’s Times features our second generation memorials team at work, providing lasting legacies for loved ones at a time when funeral attendance is so restricted....
