Plea from Co-op Funeralcare for public to help those who have lost a loved one with show of respect

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 16/04/2020

Central England Co-op Funeralcare is asking the public to help families pay their respects to loved ones during this uncertain time.

The funeral director, which has over 130 funeral homes across 16 counties, has issued a plea for people to come together and help those who have lost someone close to them at this time.  They are asking people, if they see a hearse while they are in their front garden or out for their daily exercise, to stop and bow their head in a show of respect and to support families.

The business is asking people to make the kind gesture after restrictions were put in place by the Government on the way funerals can now be conducted, including the number of people able to attend services.

Zaheer Iqbal, Funeral Director at Central England Co-op Funeralcare, said: “We are working 24 hours a day to support families at their time of need, but changes have had to be put in place following advice and guidance from the Government to protect everyone.

 “These are circumstances that none of us could have imagined, but it continues to be our privilege to support families at this most difficult time.
“This is why we are asking people wherever they are to bow their head in a show of respect for funerals passing by and in support of families.”

This comes after Central England Co-op Funeralcare outlined several changes to the way it works due to Coronavirus.

These include:

• Funeral homes are now closed to the public with clear information displayed on how to contact the teams if needed
• All arrangements now being made over the telephone and by email
• Visiting loved ones is still allowed by appointment and providing social distancing guidance can be followed
• Closing florist shops based on Government instructions. Families can still take their own flowers direct to any service
• Being unable to provide limousines to comply with social distancing advice
• Funeral Directors being encouraged to use wheeled trolleys to bring loved ones into services
• New headstones and refurbishment of existing ones will now be carried out after the current restrictions have been lifted.Stone removals for burials will still be provided

People can keep up to date with how Central England Co-op is responding to the Coronavirus by visiting www.centralengland.coop/updates

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Zaheer Iqbal, Funeral Director at Central England Co-op Funeralcare.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop