W Smith & Sons

We want you to be confident that should you entrust us to handle the funeral arrangements of a loved one or valued friend that they will be in safe hands, and the arrangements will be carried out to your specific requirements with diligence and with the greatest of respect for the deceased.

There is no better advertisement for our company than what previous clients are prepared to say, so therefore please use the link to "Testimonials" for actual written comments we have received about the service we provide.For those with a sense of nostalgia, we have an extensive collection of old photographs and some more recent of funerals and other associated subjects which can be accessed by using the adjacent link.

We at W. Smith and Sons believe that every funeral should be carried out with the upmost dignity and sincerity regardless of the degree of service that you require from ourselves. Whatever the cost or simplicity of the service that is needed, we will endevour to provide it with the deepest respect to the deceased and the greatest empathy to those who have lost someone very dear.

Should the death occur at a private residence or somewhere like a care home, then a doctor or a person of suitable authority will have to confirm the death before we are able to arrange for the transfer of the deceased to our premises.

Should it be necessary for the Coroner* to arrange for the removal of the deceased or if the death is at a hospital, please do not hesitate to telephone us between 8.00am and 9.00pm, even over a weekend or bank holiday.We can usually advise you of what procedures happen next and we will liase with the Coroner or hospital at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the deceased can be released to our care as quickly as possible.

Arrangements about the funeral are usually made by means of an informal meeting between the next of kin or executors of the deceased and one of our directors which normally takes about one hour. During this time we need to ask various facts about the deceased in order to help us to complete any necessary paperwork and to listen to your thoughts and requirements concerning the funeral itself and what services you need us to provide.

A funeral usually involves having a ceremony to give family and friends the opportunity to say farewell and remember the life of the deceased, but sometimes it simply just involves carrying out the burial or cremation without any witnesses present. The deceased may have given instructions about their own funeral during their life by making pre-arrangements in a funeral plan or by expressing their wishes in a Will.