Poppy's

13/08/2025

Flowers can be a beautiful, personal touch at funerals. But sometimes, people are unsure about what to do with the floral arrangements after the service.

If you would like to reuse, repurpose or preserve funeral flowers, we’ve shared six ideas on our blog, in collaboration with Lilian's Flower Diary:

https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0mjQGh0

12/08/2025

Heard about Death Cafés, but not sure what they’re all about?

Death Cafés are inclusive, informal and friendly opportunities to drink tea and talk about death. You don’t have to have been to a Death Café before to join. There’s no agenda, and we'll supply the biscuits!

In Sheen, Poppy Mardall will be joined by Poppy’s Relationship Manager, Jo Hicks. In Tooting, Poppy will be joined by Tonie Greig, end of life doula and bereavement counsellor, and Hilary Jennings, a trained coach and community mediator.

You don't have to book to attend a Death Café, you can just show up - but if you'd like to register your interest or learn more, you can find the links in the comments below.👇

09/08/2025

This Book Lovers Day, we’re reminded that a great book can accompany us through even the most challenging of times.

If you’re looking for resources to help you or someone you know explore death, dying and the end of life, we can help. We have recommendations for adults and children of all ages: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0mdWZY0.

Have any books helped you to navigate loss? Share your recommendations in the comments.

07/08/2025

New uniforms have just landed at Poppy’s!

Here’s two members of our team, Nic and Graham, modelling our updated polo shirts.

What we wear reflects who we are: that’s why our new mortuary uniforms are fresh, practical and very clearly say ‘we are Poppy’s’.

And on the day of a funeral, your Poppy’s funeral director will wear whatever best reflects the funeral you have planned – whether that’s traditional black or a dash of your person’s favourite colour. That’s what it means to create a funeral that works for you.

05/08/2025

Got a question about funerals? Ask one of our experienced Funeral Directors.

Perhaps you want to know how cremation really works. Or maybe you’re wondering if you really need all those flowers…

Pop your question in the comments, or send them to us via direct message, and we’ll pick a selection of questions to answer in a post next week.

NB: we can’t reply to each question individually, but if you do need to talk to us about planning a funeral, either now or in the future, you can call Poppy’s on 020 3589 4726 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (except Thursdays, when we open at 9:30am).

04/08/2025

This quote comes from Peter. He and his wife Rosemary each had a My Funeral Wishes consultation with Poppy’s recently: a free, 45-minute conversation to assist with planning their funeral.

Whether you have clear ideas of what you want or not, a My Funeral Wishes Consultation can support you to think through your options.

“Poppy’s seemed to me to be respectful and ‘can do’,” Peter told us about his experience. “They didn’t say, ‘we can’t do that’, or ‘it’s too difficult’, or ‘that’s not what other people do’. They helped spark ideas and said, ‘yes, we can deal with it’.”

We offer consultations in our office, on the phone or online. After the consultation, we send you a digital summary of your funeral wishes to keep. If you wish to, you can share this with those who will be organising your funeral.

“I have kept a copy of mine, and a good friend has one too, as I don’t have any close relatives,” Rosemary told us. “It was nice to get organised.”

“I do feel relieved now.” Peter said. “I feel that when it happens, it will all be manageable.”

To arrange your free My Funeral Wishes Consultation, call 020 3589 4726 or email us at hello@poppysfunerals.co.uk.

31/07/2025

It may surprise you to learn that almost half of all people who engage with a hospital chaplain are non-religious.

We spoke to Mike Thornton from the chaplaincy at our local hospital, St George’s in Tooting, about being a ‘caring, compassionate friend’ to all people navigating their hospital journey.

Read this enlightening conversation:

Hospital chaplains are often there for people in deeply significant moments in their lives, including at the end. We spoke to Mike Thornton, the Group Deputy Head of Chaplaincy and Voluntary Services for the St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals and Health Group (GESH), about the work of the ...

30/07/2025

At Poppy’s we have organised so many kinds of funerals - but we experienced a first recently with an amazing tow truck hearse.

The client put so much care into creating this incredibly unique funeral vehicle, and the end result was beautiful and full of character.

We’re here to help you create the funeral you want and need – whatever it takes.

Photos shared with kind permission of the client.

28/07/2025

In 2024, 85% of funerals involved a cremation. But cremation is not a process that is commonly discussed.

If you are organising a funeral, or thinking about your own funeral wishes, you may want to know more about how cremation really works.

We’ve gathered some frequently asked questions about cremation. To read more, find the link in our bio to our blog article ‘What really happens during cremation?’

Source of statistic: SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025

24/07/2025

24/7 is Samaritans Awareness Day.

Samaritans is the charity that prevents su***de through the power of human connection. Today, we want to remind people that if you're finding life tough, Samaritans is there to listen 24/7 💚

We know talking about death by su***de can be incredibly difficult. You can find our resource on ‘how to help when someone dies by su***de’ here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0lVXYf0

23/07/2025

Welcome to Poppy’s - a London-based funeral director with a fresh approach to funerals.

We were founded in 2012 by Poppy Mardall, driven by the belief that funerals could and should be better. Instead of following rigid and outdated traditions, we listen to what you want and need.

🧡 We arrange all kinds of funerals, including traditional and natural burials, and cremations.
🧡 We believe great death care should be accessible to everyone. This means we’re open about how we care for the living and the dead.
🧡 We’re here when you need us, ready to create a funeral that works for you.

Give us a call us on 0203 589 4726. You can reach us anytime between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday (except Thursdays, when we open at 9:30am).

Our collections team are available 7 days a week, between 8am and 8pm. If you are calling after 8pm, please leave your name, number and any info you feel we should know. We will call you back first thing in the morning to arrange bringing the person who has died into our care.

22/07/2025

📆 REMINDER: the next Death Café takes place on Thursday at Tooting Library from 10.30 to 12.00.

Join Poppy and Tonie for this inclusive, informal and friendly opportunity to drink tea and talk about death.

Death Cafés are a space to share our knowledge, our worries and our hopes about death, with a view to making the most of our lives. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session. This opportunity is for adults and not children.

You don't have to book, you can just show up, but if you'd like to register your interest in advance, you can do so here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0lWPKv0

No previous experience of talking about death is necessary so please do come along!

An inclusive, informal and friendly opportunity to gather together to eat cake, drink tea and talk about death.