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Our friend and celebrant Claire Turnham is hosting a number of workshops in October (24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 30th and 31st) about home funerals. There is something for everyone including introductory and more advanced options. There are also opportunities to gather together for a shared dinner and film evening or attend a Death Cafe as part of the Kicking the Bucket Festival. If you would like further information please call her on 07881 641583/01865 362984. To register please send an email to claire@onlywithlove.co.uk and Claire will send you details for payment. As she is holding the workshops in a family home there are limited places and we advise registering as soon as possible to secure a place. www.onlywithlove.co.uk
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We love getting out and about in the summer. Agricultural shows and variations on that theme are an important part of the cultural life of county towns. Isn’t it amazing what goes on at them? Our favourite thing is wandering round the enclosures looking at the different breeds of farm animals. Then there’s the Craft Tent. Prize winning jams, ‘six scones’, carrots that are two feet long and perfectly straight. How do they do that? Those things are impressive but it’s those quirky little collections of ‘an insect using no more than 25 liquorice all sorts’ or ‘a garden on a tray’ that really make us beam.
The first known agricultural show was put on by The Salford Agricultural Society in 1768 and they have been hugely popular ever since. Everyone knows about the big ones like the Bath and West and the Royal Welsh but most counties have a county show, nearly every village has a fete and many parishes have ploughing matches. All of these events present an opportunity for agricultural communities to get together to show off what they do and for everyone else to admire and appreciate it. Agricultural shows are popular abroad too. The Americans have their State Fairs and they happen in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as all over Europe. The French do it a little differently sometimes celebrating one thing at a time. Fete du Melons anyone? They also host the annual Paris International Agricultural Show which has been taking place since 1870 and attracts nearly a million visitors. You can’t beat a wellie wanging competition and the ‘Grand Parade’ of all the prizewinning animals is a magnificent sight. Mary, our custodian at Hundy Mundy had entered chickens into the Border Union Agricultural show and James became a temporary bird fancier when he emerged from the poultry tent at the show recently. He had loved it so much that we were treated to over sixty pictures and his five minute video of magnificent chickens accompanied by a cock-crowing soundtrack! If you look back over the years there is clear evidence that we like tradition when it comes to our shows. There is an enormous archive at British Pathe. In these short films, which are mostly in black and white, the scene is exactly the same. Judges in suits and bowler hats and farmers in smart white coats leading their immaculate animals. There is nearly always some sort of entertainment in the Main ring too. At the Royal Welsh it will be something noisy and impressive like a motorbike display or the Royal Horse Artillery but look what they got up to in Kenilworth in 1965. Tractors with horse’s heads stuck on the front. Fabulous! This year we've already exhibited at the two-day Border Union Agricultural Show but you can still come and see us and write your ideas on our ‘My Last Song’ board at … Monks Risborough Horticultural Show - Saturday 2nd August (where Dorothy Brock our landowner partner is the President Gwent Wildlife Trust Open Day - Tuesday 12th August The Vale of Glamorgan Show - Wednesday 13th August Frome Cheese and Agricultural Show - Saturday 13th September Thame Show - Thursday 18th September Keep up to date with where we will be on our Facebook page and when you visit our stand please tell us the most bonkers thing you've found so that we can go and see it too! In order to give up a Bank Holiday Monday for work, a rare sunny Bank Holiday Monday at that, it needs to be something very appealing. What could be more appealing than a speaking to the Scotmid Co-operative Funeral Directors Conference 2014? Well, as it turns out Charles Cowling was right and I have no reservations in saying that it really was a very worthwhile way to spend the day…  Funeral directors’ time runs precisely, perhaps even more precisely than Greenwich Meantime - just as I was explaining this phenomenon to the landlord of the Bridge Inn at Ratho, where I’d stayed overnight, through the door walked David in his black suit and cap to pick me up. Fantastic! It was 8:45 precisely, just as Scotmid had told me. At Scotmid HQ, Chris Armstrong, who’d been my contact, introduced me to James Blackburn, Head of Funerals (who the previous day had walked thirty and cycled forty miles for charity – and was now feeling it a bit) and to Derek Gibson, funeral manager who would be MC for the day. Time for registration. Having signed in and collected my badge, I sat down for coffee with three newly appointed funeral arrangers, who hadn’t yet started work but had all come along in their own time to join in. They were excited to have been selected and were also impressed by the 13 weeks of induction and training that they would receive before taking on their new roles. For them this conference had come at a great time. I am so glad that I was invited to speak to Scotmid Funeral Directors and even happier to have spent the day with such good people. Their professionalism, hospitality, positive attitude and good morale make it easy for us to recommend them. The day kicked off with a presentation by Scotmid’s CEO John Brodie. Along with key financial information, he memorably told the room that Scotmid has written into their own constitution that they will for evermore remain independent of the Manchester Coop, which settled the troops who’d expressed to me private concerns over the troubled Cooperative Society in Manchester. It was also good to see the CEO take time out to talk to his people.
Scotmid Funerals had taken over the lobby and an exhibition space at Scotmid HQ to display their wares not only to the funeral staff but to interest the corporate staff and visitors. James explained to me that they have eschewed the regular Coop coffin suppliers in favour of an extended range from their own selected suppliers from which they get better service. Aha! - Another demonstration of that fierce independence. The mid-morning ‘break-out’ sessions were such a good way of mixing the staff from different branches and staff levels together to create four colour coded groups– any barriers that existed between the branches were eliminated and the three newcomers who had yet to join the business were immediately team members. I particularly appreciated the way that I was scooped up and included by teams who invited me to participate in their individual session. My driving skills should certainly have improved through the advanced driving session provided by Alistair McLean (didn’t he used to write adventure stories?). The common ground of the afternoon presentations given by Julian Atkinson and me highlighted the changing marketplace and the drive towards greener more environmentally sustainable practices. The audience were a little shy of asking questions so Derek suggested that we should plant a couple to see if that would help people overcome their shyness. Rather cheekily I listed four questions, the last of which was “James, would you like a lift to Waverly station to catch you train home?” I needn’t have bothered, they had it covered already (thank you Steve). I am so glad that I was invited to speak to Scotmid Funeral Directors and even happier to have spent the day with such good people. Their professionalism, hospitality, positive attitude and good morale make it easy for us to recommend them. |
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The Essentials
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Leedam Natural Heritage
The Market Tavern 26 Agincourt Square Monmouth NP25 3BT Tel 07735 764 972
or 01600 716438 |
© Leedam Natural Heritage, a trading name of Native Woodland Ltd a company registered in Scotland No. SC240278