https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-directors/locations/england/northamptonshire/wellingborough/60-croyland-road

John Drage Funeral Directors, Wellingborough (2025)

02/08/2025

Yesterday our Funeral Director Scott and Jordan, Funeral Director for John Ward & Son Funeral Directors ran 20 miles (30km) in support of Kellys Heroes .

The run saw them start with us here at John Drage Funeral Directors before they visited Bruce Carter & Son Funeral Directors, also in Wellingborough and then making their way over to H J Phillips & Son Funeral Directors in Kettering and then finishing at Phillips Funeral Service in Corby.

They have so far raised over £1700 (including GiftAid) and every penny will go to help support families and individuals who are either suffering with their mental health and/or suicidal thoughts or have lost somebody to su***de.

The guys were joined by Luke one of our FSO's for the first KM and Dan our Service Delivery Lead for the first 2.5km.

Scott and Jordan had to contend with hills....lots of them, wind, the sun and a couple of pretty intense downpours too. The guys done great though and completed the 20 miles in 3hrs 31mins.

We would like to extend a big thank you to Print N Go Shop for providing the tops, they looked and felt great.

Galactic FC for finding the guys out on the route and for providing them with some water.

Lisa Mills Childcare (Scott's childminder) for getting a cheer squad, including his two children out to support the guys.

And a MASSIVE thank you to everybody who has donated so far, we have been blown away by the support.

If you would still like to donate then please follow the below link.

Thank you 😊

https://www.justgiving.com/page/scott-dinsmore-4?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

29/07/2025

TEAM TUESDAY

Week five of team Tuesday and, having introduced you to Vicki last week we this week introduce you to Craig

1. How long have you been with Dignity?!

I am very new to Dignity and the funeral industry, I have now been with Dignity for 1 month.

2. What is your role within Dignity?!

I am a Casual Funeral Service Operative

3. What do you enjoy most about your role?!

I enjoy helping families in a time of need and the feeling of respect and pride I get from working in the role I do.

4. What do you find most challenging?!

Some situations you come across can land a little too close to home and at times these can present a challenge for me.

5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?!

I enjoy painting, gaming and listening to music.

6. Who (what) is your favourite band or song?!

My favourite band is currently Sleep Token.

7. What is your favourite film?!

Shawshank Redemption

8. What is your favourite food?!

My favourite food is Cottage Pie.

9. An interesting fact about you?!

An interesting fact about me is that I can complete a Rubik's cube in under 2 minutes.

Team Tuesday is our chance to introduce you to a different member of our team each week. The colleague you are introduced to may be somebody you see in branch, on the day of the funeral or it could be somebody who does their work behind the scenes.

We have six branches across the county and, when needed we sometimes have staff from branches other than our own help to support us and our families.

The aim is to introduce you to each and every member of the team across the area so, when you speak to us on the phone, meet us in a branch or see us on the day of the funeral you at least have an idea of who we are and who is looking after you and your loved one.

24/07/2025

A week tomorrow our Funeral Director Scott will be joined by Jordan, Funeral Director for John Ward & Son Funeral Directors as they run 20 miles in support of Kellys Heroes.

The run will see them visit all four Dignity Funerals branches on this side of the county.

John Drage, Wellingborough
Bruce Carter & Son Funeral Directors, Wellingborough
H J Phillips & Son Funeral Directors, Kettering
Phillips Funeral Service, Corby

This run is to support the wonderful Wellingborough based charity Kelly's Heroes, a fantastic group who specialise in mental health and su***de prevention.

Any donations are gratefully received via the below link,

Thank you 🙃

https://www.justgiving.com/page/scott-dinsmore-4

22/07/2025

TEAM TUESDAY

Week four of team Tuesday and, having introduced to our inspirational leader Jamie last week we this week introduce you to Vicki.

1. How long have you been with Dignity?!

I have been working at dignity since the beginning of January 2025, so not far off 8 months now.

2. What is your role within Dignity?!

I am a Funeral Service Operative

3. What do you enjoy most about your role?!

I really enjoy meeting the families and helping to look after their loved ones throughout the time that they are at one of our 6 branches, I also really enjoy bearing at funerals.

4. What do you find most challenging?!

Being on-call can be a challenge as every into care we do is so different and no two are the same, but equally I love being on-call and helping each family we meet during what can often be one of if not the hardest time for them.

5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?!

I am really into motorbikes and go to bike meets most nights, also a big book worm so you will find me most days curled up with a good horror book

6. Who (what) is your favourite band or song?!

Favourite band at the moment is either slipknot or blink182

7. What is your favourite film?!

My go to film is Shaun of the Dead

8. What is your favourite food?!

At the moment definitely a burger

9. An interesting fact about you?!

I have 3 horses that keep me very busy on the weekends, I also have a cat Binx who is very mischievous and can be a little monster at times

Team Tuesday is our chance to introduce you to a different member of our team each week. The colleague you are introduced to may be somebody you see in branch, on the day of the funeral or it could be somebody who does their work behind the scenes.

We have six branches across the county and, when needed we sometimes have staff from branches other than our own help to support us and our families.

The aim is to introduce you to each and every member of the team across the area so, when you speak to us on the phone, meet us in a branch or see us on the day of the funeral you at least have an idea of who we are and who is looking after you and your loved one.

15/07/2025

TEAM TUESDAY

Week three of 'Team Tuesday and, having introduced you to our Service Delivery Lead Dan last week we now you introduce you to Jamie.

1. How long have you been with Dignity?

I have been with Dignity Funerals for 8 years now.

2. What is your role within Dignity?

I am the Business Leader for Bruce Carter & Son Funeral Directors John Drage Funeral Directors H J Phillips & Son Funeral Directors Phillips Funeral Service Ann Bonham & Son Funeral Directors and John Ward & Son Funeral Directors

3. What do you enjoy most about your role as a Business Leader?

What I enjoy most about my role as a Business Leader is that I am in the privileged position to support families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. It's incredibly meaningful to me that I am able to provide and offer comfort, dignity and guidance when people need it the most.

I also genuinely love leading my team. Building a strong, compassionate and professional group that shares in mine and the organisations values is something I am truly proud of.

Watching my team grow, support one another and serve our families with care and respect is one of the most rewarding parts of my role.

4. What do you find most challenging about your role?

What I find the most challenging is seeing the pain families go through, particularly in the early stages of grief and the loss of a loved one. I will always strive to ease that burden as much as possible.

At the same time I am always mindful of my team's emotional wellbeing as the work they do and services they provide can be challenging for them too.

Supporting both our families and my staff with care and compassion is something very close to my heart and I push to do my best for them both every single day.

5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

I love socialising with family and friends. I also love a little weekend away somewhere, a nice lodge cabin in Wales watching the stars whilst sat in a hot tub sounds perfect to me.

6. Who (what) is your favourite band or song?

The Arctic Monkeys

7. What is your favourite film?

Die Hard (and yes it's most definitely a Christmas film)

8. What's your favourite food?

Oooo, this is a hard one as I love my food. I really enjoy a Chinese but just ahead of that I would say pork scratchings.

9. An interesting fact about you?

I love theme parks but I am actually a terrible person to visit one with. I spend the entire time in the queue line wondering how safe the ride is and talking myself out of going on. Once I have been on once though you struggle to get me off.

As we said last week, we, moving forward are going to take some time each Tuesday to introduce you to a different member of our team. The colleague you are introduced to may be somebody you see in branch, on the day of the funeral or it could be somebody who does their work behind the scenes.

We have six branches across the county and, when needed we sometimes have staff from branches outside of Wellingbrough help to support us and our families.

The aim is to introduce you to each and every member of the team across the area so, when you speak to us on the phone, meet us in a branch or see us on the day of the funeral you at least have an idea of who we are and who is looking after you and your loved one.

14/07/2025

On Friday 1st August our Funeral Director Scott will be undertaking a pretty impressive challenge.

Scott will be running 19 miles in support of Kellys Heroess, 19 miles being the distance covering all four Dignity Funerals branches on this side of the county.

Starting here at Scott will then make his way to Bruce Carter & Son Funeral Directors before leaving Wellingborough and making his way to H J Phillips & Son Funeral Directors in Kettering. Once he's had a handful of Jelly Babies and a well deserved Lucozade he will then make his way to Phillips Funeral Service in Corby.

Kelly's Heroes is a wonderful charity local to Wellingborough that was set up in memory of Kelly Francesca Hewitt who sadly took her own life in December 2018 aged just 24.

The charity aims to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and take down the barriers that prevent people from talking about their struggles. Through the work they do, the conversations they have and the support they give Kelly's Heroes help prevent members of the very communities we live and work in from taking their own lives.

If you are able to help us by sponsoring Scott that would be great, the link is below and any and all donations will go to helping Kelly's Heroes continue the wonderful work they do.

Thank you

https://www.justgiving.com/page/scott-dinsmore-4...

14/07/2025

This past Thursday was a very special day for us here at John Drage Funeral Directors as, our chapel that was built in 2022 was officialy named as 'The Croyalnd Chapel'.

Kate Reneerkens a lovely celebrant we have worked closely with for many years kindly led a beautiful, sun kissed naming ceremony and as she always does did a fantastic job.

The service was attended by staff from Nene Valley Crematorium, Kettering Crematorium and Petal Cascade Florist as well as a number of local celebrants. Celebrants in attendance included Katrina Arnold Celebrant, Angela Darlow and Julie J. Miller, all of whom were very engaging and enjoyed sharing in the day with us.

Koolhand Photos once again joined us and managed to capture some lovely images, thank you to you Luke.

The days V.I.P's though were the staff from Dukes Court Care Home - Avery Healthcare, the ladies responsible for actually naming the chapel.

A few months ago we invited the staff and residents of Duke's Court to name our chapel, we receieved some wonderful suggestions and ended up with a shortlist of three.

1. Duke's Chapel
2. The Serene Chapel
3. The Croyland Chapel

After much deliberation we settled on 'The Croyland Chapelhall Arlene was our winner, thank you for the suggestion Arlene.

Sharon was our runner up and both ladies were presented by beautiful floral tributes from Petal Cascade as well as a lovely hamper each.

Given how hard they work and how fantastic they are at what they do it was only right that our funeral arrangers Sam and Carol joined Arlene in cutting the ribbon.

And, on behalf of Scott our Funeral Director, Dan our Service Delivery Lead, Abbi our FSO Team Leader and Jamie our Business Leader we would like to thank everybody who joined us, your presence was warmly received and greatly appreciated.

08/07/2025

TEAM TUESDAY

Week three of 'Team Tuesdays', last week we introduced you to Dan Rouse our Service Delivery Lead and this week we introduce you to Andy Murrell, Funeral Director at H J Phillips & Son Funeral Directors and Phillips Funeral Service

1. How long have you been with Dignity? In April of this year I celebrated 10 years with Dignity Funerals

2. What is your role within Dignity? I am the Funeral Director and one of a team of Funeral Plan Consultants for our Funeral homes in Kettering and Corby.

3. What do you enjoy most about your role as a Funeral Director? Each and every day can be different but, I would have to say meeting the families and taking care of their needs. Their is no greater honour than helping a loved one on their final journey.

4. What do you find most challenging about your role? No two funerals are the same and each one faces it's own set of challenges. By working together and exhibiting good teamwork though we overcome the challenges.

5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of work? Spending time with family, watching films and box sets.

6. Who (what) is your favourite band or song? The Smashing Pumpkins

7. What is your favourite film? Salem's Lot

8. What's your favourite food? A Sunday Roast

9. An interesting fact about you? I used to play bass guitar in a band

As we said last week, we, moving forward are going to take some time each Tuesday to introduce you to a different member of our team. The colleague you are introduced to may be somebody you see in branch, on the day of the funeral or it could be somebody who does their work behind the scenes.

We have six branches across the county and, when needed we sometimes have staff from branches outside of Wellingbrough help to support us and our families.

The aim is to introduce you to each and every member of the team across the area so, when you speak to us on the phone, meet us in a branch or see us on the day of the funeral you at least have an idea of who we are and who is looking after you and your loved one.

04/07/2025

Whilst making funeral arrangements we will always strive to personalise the service if and where we can, one way of personalising a service is through the use of family bearers.

Being a family bearer comes with a good degree of responsibility but, that aside is often a lovely way to thank, honour, repay, respect or show love for an individual.

Prior to the funeral itself our client, the person responsible for making the arrangements will be asked to sign a 'family bearers disclaimer'. The disclaimer isn't anything to worry about and our funeral arrangers Sam, Carol or funeral director Scott will talk you through it and answer any questions you might have.

On the day of the funeral either the hearse driver or funeral director will ask the client who is bearing and then assemble those individuals at the back of the hearse. From here the following process happens.

* Family bearers will be paired off so they are next to somebody of equal or similar height. They will be asked if they have any current or historical injuries which results in them having a preferred shoulder/leg/side to carry on and will then be positioned at the rear of the hearse.

* Following the pairing off and positioning of bearers they will then receive a hearse speech. This speech is a short minute long brief outlining what they as bearers are expected to do, when they are expected to do it and what prompts they should be listening out for.

*Once the celebrant/minister, chapel attendant and family are ready the funeral director will then position himself a few paces back from the rear of the hearse and the bearers bring his or herself to a position of attention and say 'thank you', 'thank you gentleman', 'thank you ladies' or words to that effect.

*'Thank you' is the first prompt the bearers will receive and this gives them the instruction to slowly bring the coffin, their loved one out of the hearse. The hearse has rollers and the coffin glides out elegantly with minimal effort. As the coffin starts to exit the hearse the bearers dress forward taking the coffin underhand at roughly waist height.

*With the coffin being held underhand at approximately waist height the bearers will then be instructed to turn and face the entrance to the service venue.

*Once the bearers are facing the direction of travel and are comfortable the funeral director will once again say 'thank you' or similar. This second audible prompt then gives the bearers instruction to lift the coffin to shoulder height, our own bearers will assist with lifting and positioning the coffin as required.

*With the coffin now at shoulder height the funeral director will once again say 'thank you' and the bearers will step off, preferably all on the left foot and start to slowly make their way into the church/chapel or other service venue.

*As they arrive at the front of the church/chapel they will then be instructed to lower back down to waist height and to place the coffin on either a catafalque or trestles.

*Once the coffin has been situated on the catafalque or trestles the family bearers will then be instructed to take their seats.

03/07/2025

Devastating news for the city of Liverpool, Liverpool FC and of course the Jota family.

A truly special player, a wonderful Dad and a man who only 2 weeks ago became a Husband to his Beautiful Wife.

Rest In Peace Diogo, "You'll Never Walk Alone"

#20 🔴⚽️

02/07/2025

Earlier today we helped a family from the neighbouring village of Orlingbury say goodbye to a deeply loved Mum, Wife, Grandmother and Great Grandmother.

With the sun shining brightly we made our way from the lovely village of Orlingbury and down to Dukes Court Care Home - Avery Healthcare. Dukes Court is where this lovely lady spent the latter years of her life and Scott, our Funeral Director paged our Hearse and two Limousines past residents and staff who had lined the roadside to say their own goodbye.

The service was held at Nene Valley Crematorium with tributes from the family really helping us to understand the lady we have been caring for and the life she lived.

Scott was our Funeral Director, Luke our Hearse Driver and both Danny and Nate our Limousine drivers. Vicki met the chaps at the crematorium and assisted with carrying into chapel.

02/07/2025

Yesterday we helped a family say goodbye to a much loved man, a Father and Grandfather who, after 10 years was reunited with his dear Grandaughter, an angel born sleeping.

The service was held at Nene Valley Crematorium, Nicole Ruby was our celebrant and, as she always does did a beautiful job.

During the service we were privileged to be able to share in a photo tribute to Jeff, snapshots of his life and of the man he was. Through those photo's we could see the character, personality and lust for life that made Jeff loved by so many.

Vicki was our Hearse Driver and Nate looked after the family in our Limousine. We were joined at the crematorium by Danny, Destiny, Luke and Mark who all did sterling jobs in preparing the chapel for our arrival.

John Drage Funeral Directors

02/08/2025

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