Heart & Soul Funerals

30/10/2025

We’re kicking off our Day of The Dead events today - come and say hello to us on Totnes High Street. We’re enjoying great conversations and hearing all about your own experiences of remembering and celebrating people. Thanks to everyone for contributing your beautiful photos to this community space, you can send them via the link in our bio.

29/10/2025

🧡 Our Day of the Dead celebrations are very nearly here! 🧡We're looking forward to welcoming people to see our Altar on Totnes High Street from tomorrow, Thurs 30th Oct to Sat 1st Nov.

Sat 1st Nov: at Moor Imagination Collective, we've got our Children's Mexican Workshop and screening of a Disney movie - all free. From 2pm to 5pm

Sun 2nd Nov: at Heart & Soul Funerals, we're hosting 'Memories', a chance to gather and remember loved ones in a beautiful setting. Contribute to our altar, light a candle and enjoy tea & cake. From 4pm to 6pm.

27/10/2025

We're celebrating all things Mexican Day of the Dead in our shop window. This colourful installation is designed by Jane Morrell and Jan O'Highway Arts to celebrate and remember our loved ones.

This is a space for you all - please contribute to the display by sending us a photo of a person, place, pet or object that you'd like to be honoured and remembered. We'll print your photo and place it on our altar or the window.
Thank you to everyone who has already sent us their photos, they're beautiful 🧡. You can simply scan the QR code in our window to send us an image or share via this link: https://eventoly.com/en/upload/yr0lorkb9o?t=NDFlN2M5NzRiMTc5MDRiMWNlZjM4NzVkZDQyMDJiMDY6eXIwbG9ya2I5by44YzIxYTI0NjlkYmQ3MjIy

And, please pop in to see us and the altar in person from Thurs 30th Oct - Sat 1st Nov, the Totnes High Street shop will be open.

22/10/2025

We're looking forward to taking part in Exeter's All Souls Day event, this coming Sunday, 26th October. We'll be speaking with Sophia from Woven Farewell Coffins during a session called ' We need to talk about the funeral' at 12.30pm at Love Food CIC, LOVE FOOD 95 Cowick St, St Thomas, Exeter EX4 1JF, UK. We'd love to see you there - please come armed with plenty of questions for us!

The event program is great - try your hand at willow weaving, making puppets, singing sessions, there'll be delicious food and you can speak with Rebecca Collett about Will writing:
https://www.allsoulsdayexeter.com/program

16/10/2025

Too often, grief is tucked away and hidden. We can struggle to know how best to speak about our own experiences, and sometimes, simply talking about it is not what we need. Happily, there are an increasing number of opportunities to engage with grief. We're sharing details here of The 'Clay Cafe' for the Bereaved, a regular session that takes place in Newton Abbot and Ashburton. They provide a safe space to come as you are and to get your hands into some beautiful, local clay:

"No experience of working with clay is necessary, just a willingness to relax and explore. During the session we
will work with locally dug Ball Clay, a wonderfully therapeutic material which is native to Newton Abbot."

https://www.claysidecallings.com/claycafeforthebereaved

Helping the Bereaved through Clay and Creativity.

09/10/2025

We're excited to announce a series of events, in celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead. From 30th Oct to 2nd Nov - please join us! Family friendly workshops, a community Day of the Dead altar on Totnes High Street, a gathering here at Riverstone to remember and honour people who matter to us - all free, with plenty of cake too. All details are on our Eventbrite page - we're looking forward to celebrating with you soon: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/heart-soul-funerals-109484265421

08/10/2025

Autumnal leaves, foliage and blooms looking pretty at home in our hall. We're loving the berries and hot green splashes of acer. Our hall at Riverstone is yours to decorate and use, as you wish, for ceremonies and visits. We're always happy to help with this, if needed.

01/10/2025

Next time you're hiking up Totnes High Street, stop for a breather and take a look into our autumnal window. We're highlighting the beautiful work of local shroud maker Bellacouche and writer Jackie Juno. We hope the display also provides some inspiration for how simply (and affordably) we can personalise our own funerals. For example, using favourite books, a person's own musical instruments and even simple foliage can add meaningful touches that help to reflect a person and the life they led.

25/09/2025

Prepping for a funeral at the cob barn at Sharpham Natural Burial Ground, with sunshine and stunning views playing supporting roles.
You don't have to be attending a funeral to visit this beautiful spot - the site is open from dawn to dusk and visitors are welcome.

24/09/2025

A beautiful and very supportive piece from Jane and Jimmy at The Good Grief Project - how to talk to someone who is grieving. Do say something, don't be afraid to say the person's name and keep in touch:

Some tips on coping with grief from us at The Good Grief Project with thanks to Prima Magazine Quickthorn books You can find out more in our grief handbook https://www.quickthornbooks.com/title-list/when-words-are-not-enough/ or take a look at our website www.thegoodgriefproject.co.uk

22/09/2025

A great article from the BBC about the importance and power of music during palliative care and after death too. "There's certainly evidence to suggest that hearing is the last sense to go so even when someone is unconscious or unresponsive, music can still reach them." Some honest and moving accounts here - well worth a quick read: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3e7n40vyx2o

Music can evoke powerful memories and offers a sense of normality for people dealing with illness or death.

17/09/2025

Whether it's a Citroen van, a pink Jaguar, a Land Rover, sparkling hearse or the family car, we'll ensure your person is safely brought to their funeral. There's no one right way to do this - whatever feels right, is right.