Bennetts Funeral Directors Celebrating 125 Years of Serving the Community – Essex Life Advertorial
Jane Bennett, third generation of her family to lead Bennetts Funerals reflects on how the company continues to provide traditional, community focused service, while looking to the future.
Bennetts Funeral Directors is a family business which has had the privilege of serving the local community and families all over Essex for 125 years. We pride ourselves on our ability to combine our traditional values with our ability to move with the times and plan for the future.
As a business we considered it important to celebrate our 125 years in business in a way that would benefit the residents of Billericay and Brentwood for years to come. We chose tree planting in particular as timber has always been so important to our profession, and we felt strongly that we should play our part in enhancing the environment in which we live, work and play.
We have committed to planting 125 trees in various sites in the Billericay and Brentwood areas, including 25 ornamental cherry trees in Lake Meadows Park which will provide an elegant and impressive spring display by creating an imposing new avenue of trees in this popular park. We have also planted trees in various Brentwood and Billericay schools and community areas and the Epping Ongar Railway.
In keeping with this theme, we have commissioned two hand-made Memory Tree sculptures which are now in place at our Brentwood and Billericay premises. The trees raise funds for Saint Francis Hospice (Brentwood tree) and St Luke’s Hospice (Billericay tree). Members of the public may purchase a leaf which is then engraved with a personal message to commemorate a loved one, and placed on the tree. The trees may be visited at any time during office hours. All funds raised go to the relevant Hospice.
Our holistic approach to providing the best possible service we can for the families has meant that we have identified a need for continuing care long after the funeral service itself. At Bennetts this takes the form of bereavement support which includes both of our two monthly bereavement self help support groups, and our facilitation of Dr Bill Webster’s Grief Journey support programme. These services are available to anyone in the community who is in need of support during the grieving process, and are free of charge.
Another part of our anniversary celebrations has been to design two new hearse vehicles – a Volkswagen Camper Van and a Land Rover Defender – to complement our prestigious Rolls Royce and Mercedes fleet. These exciting new additions along with our capability to provide horse-drawn and motorcycle hearses, we feel, give us the ability to provide the families we support with unrivaled opportunity to plan a funeral that is unique and highly personal.
In recent years we have seen how prior planning of funerals can ease the burden on families at what can be the worst time of their lives. This prompted us to devise our Funeral Planning Wish List which is a free service provided by Bennetts, that can be used to record wishes and as a tool to start what can be a difficult conversation with loved ones. Completing a Wish List gives families the peace of mind of knowing that their loved one’s funeral is exactly as they would have wanted. The Wish List can be used on its own or in tandem with a pre-paid funeral plan, which has the added benefit of easing any financial burden at the time of need.
Brentwood: Fern House, 120 High Street, Brentwood CM14 4AS – Tel: 01277 210104
Billericay: The Old School House, 2 High Street, Billericay CM12 9BQ – Tel: 01277 624289