London Funeral Directors - Support Network

This support network for London wide funeral directors has been created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who is this for?

This is a peer-to-peer resource for anyone who works in the funeral profession in the London area who wishes to collaborate during the next few months. It is open to everyone, irrespective of position, approach or trade association membership. It’s for those who wish to offer support and resources to each other and to enable a co-ordinated and efficient response to any crisis we have to face.

Please note that it is for those who are employed as funeral directors, arrangers, conductors, funeral service operatives etc. It’s not a resource for celebrants.

Why it is needed?

It has been created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in anticipation of a significant amount of pressure being placed on funeral services in the coming months. The network will:

Enable funeral directors to provide the best possible service to society during what may be an extremely challenging time.

Share best practice and the most up-to-date guidelines from trade associations and the government.

Share important localised information.

Share announcements from our local crematoria and cemeteries regarding new policies.

Identify what PPE is needed and where it can be found.

Enable funeral directors to ask for help from other funeral directors when needed.

Share resources when staff may be self-isolating or sick to prevent any disruption to service.

Provide emotional support during what may be an extremely challenging time.

Seek viable and helpful alternatives to hosting funeral services, should gatherings be restricted or banned.

Enable us to continue serving our clients in the best way possible, whilst we seek to better understand coronavirus/COVID-19 and how to contend with it.

It is hoped that this resource will not be needed and the communication channel will be redundant. But it has been created as a failsafe.

How will members communicate with each other?

A Slack Workspace has been set up to efficiently facilitate conversations. Slack is a digital tool, a collaboration hub where the right people and the right information come together, helping everyone to get work done. It replaces email and other forms of social media, organising conversations into relevant and focused channels.

Slack is an app, which can be downloaded to your phone, as well as being web-based.

Why Slack?

Slack is a highly effective and efficient way of teams working together remotely towards a common goal.

Although Facebook groups for funeral directors are in existence, the information is often unreliable and drowned out by other information. This Slack channel will strictly be for London based funeral professionals only.

As we potentially enter challenging times, funeral professionals may wish to use Facebook to stay up to date with family and friends. The Slack channel will be an opt-in resource for funerals only. Importantly, notifications can be silenced and boundaries put in place. Self-care and knowing when to switch off is going to be increasingly important during the times ahead.

You can share information in the relevant channel, and send direct messages to other members. You can also set up small conversations with specific members to co-ordinate a specific action. Please do not use the channel for general chit-chat. The channel is for co-ordinating a highly effective response to COVID-19 should we be faced with an emergency situation. Its effectiveness will be reduced if it’s used for general conversation.

I’m a funeral director. How can I join the Slack channel?

You can join London Funeral Directors - Support Network by emailing your request to Louise Winter.

You will be sent a link which will enable you to create an account and download the app to your phone.

When you request membership, please include your full name and the company you work for.

I’m not in London but I’d like something like this in my area.

You can easily set up a Slack Workspace for your area here. Please contact Louise Winter at louise@poetic-endings.com if you’d like any assistance.