Thereafter - The Alternative Funeral Director, London (2025)

21/05/2025

The grounds at West Herts Crematorium are verging on psychedelic, in a very good way 🌺

The beauty of being able to work remotely means i explore and experience an array of environments up and down the country. Some crematoria a undeniably bleak but West Herts, I salute you 🫡

Every corner turned there’s yet another burst of colour
Rhododendrons and Azaleasin full utter glory. Quite amazing and a very natural energy changer - just what’s required on a big day

20/05/2025

The women a BAWE (British Association of Women Entrepreneurs) are known for holding their ground and excelling in business, but when it comes to conversations around death and end of life, can the same be said?

I'm looking forward to hosting a BAWE LIVE LOUNGE this coming Thursday, 22nd May, 3pm.

I'll be in conversation Siobhan Miles-Moores, aka Lune Valley Celebrant for a relaxed, open dialogue, a sharing of information to equip and empower decisions around end of life and planning ahead.

This is a BAWE members only event. If you do wish for a more intimate conversation

Why not book a call?
https://calendly.com/contact-thereafter

We're always very happy to assist in getting thought and wishes in line, eradicate crazy myths and the fear around death and dying and ideally leave you feeling more prepared, whatever the next day holds.

09/05/2025

We like putting the words ‘beautiful’ and ‘funeral’ together, that’s not morbid it’s healthy, and Abney Park is an easy place to be able to do so.

🌳 The chapel is nestled in the extraordinary park/ cemetery, steeped in history, The vast array of graves are a joy for the senses whilst informing us of our attitude and relationship to death over the years:. I find the culture of death in society fascinating.and the layers of hidden histories of people and communities are immense.

🕊️Can you believe the grounds team have now discovered, archived and mapped 200,000 people buried in Abney Park Cemetery 👀

💀 Amongst the avenues and woodlands packed with elaborate tombstones, mass public graves were clearly more frequent than once known.

As a space for ceremonial gatherings the Chapel certainly a gem: Flexible, light, airy. You can take your time, and breathe. There’s no ‘conveyor belt’ feeling here..

🖤 The Chapel has always been non-denominational to allow all members of Hackney communities to be welcome. You can feel it in the brickwork

🕊️ Fact: As a public mortuary chapel anyone could attend a funeral, sit up in the public balcony looking down into the view the ceremony.

✝️ The cross like architecture was specifically so to allow the grieving family and friends to sit in the short sides of the cross out of view from the public eyes 🖤

🪦Should you want to know more of Abney’s rich hidden history I can highly recommend ABNEY UNEARTHED,

Hackney Unearthed Exhibition at Hackney Archives,
James Library, Dalston Square, Dalston CLR, London E8 3BQ

Open Wednesdays to Fridays,
10am-6pm

0fc if you’d like to discuss holding a funeral or memorial gathering at Abney Park or any other unique space please do get in touch. Always happy to assist
📞 link in bio ♥️

07/05/2025

The Culture of Dying Matters

The funeral is most often an event we don’t want to be arranging, especially when you think you have to enter the weird and scary world of death. Death really isn’t weird. It’s the structure that’s been created around it that is.

I 1000% agree that death is not easy but I do believe we can make it easier and a little more ’normal’ by talking about it, bringing it out from behind closed doors and reclaiming it from the grips of inherited traditions.
I am quite au fait with the dead but I confess some high-street funeral parlours even give me the heebie-jeebies. There’s just no need for it to be so alienating for who we are today.

It is these inherited traditions, created to mask and ‘protect us’ from death that feed the denial and fear of death. By reshaping the funeral and repositioning death within our language, culture and physical space in society, we can and will build much healthier relationships with our natural end and equally as importantly, how we move forward living with loss.

This week is Dying Matters Awareness Week - This years theme, The Culture of Dying Matters
Established by Hospice UK this annual event was created to encourage and facilitate conversions and provide support around death and dying. Communities across the UK come together to break the stigma around death, dying and grief. Visit their website to find events and support networks near you.

https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters

28/04/2025

Caught in the act 😊

As a funeral director I sometimes get my nuckles wrapped by delivering the ceremony as well as it’s not considered the done thing.

Thereafter take enormous pride in delivering Ceremony led funerals.

Funerals are not just cars and logistics, it’s all the rest around these that make a funeral meaningful and memorable.

Style and tone are two things I talk about a lot when putting a funeral together. Each funeral is tailored to individual needs. Quite often the family lead in the main part of the ceremony, they just need guidance and support.

I don’t always officiate. There’s a vast pool of celebrants, ministers, inter-faith ministers to suit as required.

Creating and seeing a funeral take shape in a way that’s right is quite wonderful.

How do we know that we’re doing a good job?

We’ll always speak with the family the night before and if they say,

“Bizarrely, we’re looking forward to tomorrow”
then I know we’ve got the family in the family in a good place.

22/04/2025

Good Eggs!
We’re incredibly proud of our team🤍

Pallbearers: those who carry the coffin

Bearing a coffin is an enormous privilege. Many families and friends see this as their final gift, a ritual of love and respect. For some, it’s just too much. As always, such decisions are personal choice. Needles to say, we have it covered with a loyal and dedicated team.

With pride, attention to detail we have a wonderful pool of folk to select a team right for the family in hand. Looking sharp, walking with pride and focused attention is a given.

We will always gather together ahead of the service so the guys know the name and a little about the person whose ceremony we are holding.
We enjoy looking after our crew as much as we do our clients. Theres no denying it, the success of the work we do starts with the team.

Here the guys are bearing the new Mycelium cocoon, physically and emotionally supporting people and our planet 🍄‍🟫🌎

16/04/2025

Mushrooms and mirror balls, a perfect combination in our books 🍄‍🟫🪩

When new tech meets, greets and nurtures nature -
Happy Days. 🌿

We’re thrilled to be introducing the mycelium living cocoon to our options for sustainable coffins.

The Living Cocoon is a joy to behold. Harnessing the magic of the mushroom network and the power of the mycelium 🍄

🌱 100% natural, made from mushroom and recycled h**p fibres
🌎 Biodegradable, in 45 days it will completely degrade into the earth
🌳 Nourishing and nurturing the soil and the ecosystem around it

Honouring life in death and death in life 💫 protecting the environment for future generations

07/04/2025

What happens when two progressive funeral directors get together?

Such a joyful weekend up in Todmorden with the time to catch up Rosie and see their truly beautiful space.
By no means a high street shop front. The old post office and sorting office in fantastic Yorkshire stone makes for the most beautiful of space for ceremony, whether it be the funeral ceremony itself or the very precious, raw time in the lead up to said funeral.

It’s healthy, and reassuring to know that there is some really great work being done to deliver sensitive, appropriate funerals tailored for individual needs.

Great long chats, and giggles, about the industry, where the it’s at, where it’s heading, the challenges and the rewards of working in an environment that is resistant to change.
Thankfully, things are on the move and I’m delighted to be a part of that change.

20/03/2025

Happy Spring Equinox ☀️

As the sun crosses the celestial equator sun’s rays are distributed equally between the northern and southern hemispheres. The Spring Equinox is a day of balance of light and dark, a day of renewal and new beginnings 🌱

Abney Park Cemetery was beaming with light and nature joyously doing it’s magical thing morning. A beautiful reminder that after death, there is life. 🍃

‘Honouring life in death and death in life’,
an ethos I live by, not just in my work.

To honour the Equinox and harness its restorative energies give yourself some time, why not say the name of the person/ people you have lost to keep them present as you move forward.

Maybe just watering the garden nurtures your soul. Will you plant a seed, take a walk? Give you and your ancestors even is just a moment of your time as we give a very warm welcome to the 1st day of spring 🌼

Abney Park really is looking magnificent. The Chapel is stunning place to celebrate life and death. You can read more about this on our website. Whether for now or future plans. It’s good to know your options
Link in bio ♥️👆

07/12/2024

How can we make living with loss just that little bit easier?
With natural lateral thinking, Thereafter are proud to feature in The Journal of Biophilic Design with a perhaps radical but simple and sustainable solution. Innovative and accessible, connecting with nature we can remain connected to those we’ve lost and will always love.
Read the full article, BREATHE, GRIEVE & BLOOM in the Thereafter Journal. 🔗 👆
Or download the Journal of Biophillic Design EBook
https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design-1

The printed magazines are beautiful if anyone prefers to have a copy to keep and refer to DM me as I can share a 10% discount code for single and subscription purchases. For those interested in sustainable design this makes a very nice 🎁

03/12/2024

Ceremony and celebrations at The People’s Pyramid,
Communal funeral ceremony like no other.

How we honour our dead, remember and mourn is integral to how we move forward, living with loss.

MuMufication is a new form of memorialisation.
Created and hosted by K2 Plant Hire aka Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond, 23grams of cremated remains are placed into a handmade brick. An annual brick laying ceremony is held where guests, family, friends and strangers gather together as the Bricks of Mu* are laid in The People’s Pyramid

A lively, noisy procession followed by a powerful silence across the Mersey to arrive to the site of ceremonial laying the dead to rest.
Art, fashion, music, laughter, tears and Dancing.
There is no right or wrong way to say goodbye.

Sharing the love of new, innovative, progressive ways of memorialisation
To know more about MuMufication
www.the people’s pyramid.org

Honouring loss in life and life in loss
#23

30/11/2024

I wonder just how many people have walked these floors and sashayed down the staircase at the ever impressive St Pancras Hotel?
It was wonderful to be amongst so many women leading the way in their fields of business winter lunch.

We are lucky to live in a society where women do have a voice and successfully carve their path.

Many Thanks for a fabulous opening speech, to Louise Oliver for organising and to Tatton financial advisors and wealth management for sponsoring the event

Thereafter - The Alternative Funeral Director

21/05/2025

20/05/2025

09/05/2025

07/05/2025

28/04/2025

22/04/2025

16/04/2025

07/04/2025

20/03/2025

07/12/2024

03/12/2024

30/11/2024

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