Taking care of every detail. Family owned since 1939

Transcription

1 Taking care of every detail Family owned since 1939

2 Throughout the history of mankind, people have commemorated their loved ones with a ceremony that reflects their religious, cultural and personal background. A funeral marks an important stage in the grieving process as it allows us to express emotions and offer support to mourners. By providing `closure, the funeral helps us to accept the reality of death and carry on with the rest of our lives albeit in a different way than before. A funeral can give the opportunity to come together with friends and family to remember a life lived, through the sharing of personal thoughts and treasured memories. This is why it is important that families choose the type of funeral which is meaningful to them and appropriate to the deceased; the support and advice of a funeral director can be invaluable here. 2

3 In the midst of our grief the responsibility of arranging a funeral can seem overwhelming. It is a great comfort to be able to rely on others at this time. Crosbie Matthew Funeral Directors Ltd has been helping families in Fife and beyond since Our experience of such difficult times enables us to know when, and where, to offer assistance. We pride ourselves in listening to your needs and helping you to arrange the funeral best suited to those needs. 3

4 Sheila Matthew Willie Matthew Alan Morrison Laurie Baldie Mark Daly Kerry Horsburgh Ross McComiskie Emma Mackay Shaun Oliver Lauren Matthew Michael Salmond Brian Morrison

5 Company History We ve always been a family owned and run business. We re not a big chain, and we don t behave like one. We are proud to provide an intimate, caring service that is tailored to your needs as an individual. The ethos of our company was established when the company was formed by Alexander Crosbie known affectionately as Bing in Bing was succeeded by his son Sandy in Local businessman Willie Matthew then took over the family concern in 1984, and he was joined by his daughter, Sheila, in Sheila had spent time training with a funeral director in Australia, and brought some fresh ideas to the business. She continually strives to improve the service Crosbie Matthew provides to families in Fife and beyond. Our team of funeral directors led by senior funeral director Alan Morrison is highly trained, professional and experienced. We maintain our high levels of service by regularly reviewing and evaluating our procedures, developing our skills and holding in-house training sessions. Members of our team hold National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) qualifications from the Independent Funeral Directors College. One member of the team has just finished training for an embalming qualification from the British Institute of Embalmers. 5

6 Our office staff are also highly trained and work hard to ensure that the administrative duties are dealt with effectively and efficiently. Because health and safety issues affect not only our business, but our staff and customers, we take time and effort to ensure that we are up-to-date with the latest developments. We all live locally, and know and understand the local community. We are all committed to supporting families in Fife and beyond. As a small, family owned business we do not answer to shareholders and, unlike larger, corporate concerns, we are not pressured by head office to sacrifice service to increase profits. 6

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8 Before the Funeral On contacting Crosbie Matthew, we will arrange to meet you at a time and place suitable to you. Our professional funeral directors are available to provide you with a compassionate and caring service of advice and guidance, either at our offices or in the comfort of your own home. This appointment will be an opportunity to meet you, assist with the completion of relevant paperwork and discuss options for the funeral itself. Facilities are provided both day and night to transfer the deceased to our funeral home. We liaise with hospital staff, doctors and other relevant authorities to obtain all documents and certificates necessary for a funeral to take place. Kirkcaldy arrangement room 8

9 Crosbie Matthew can contact clergy, civil celebrants, crematoria and cemeteries to coordinate the timings of funerals and the interment of cremated remains. We can also contact cemeteries to purchase new lairs on your behalf. We can organise all press intimations with local and national newspapers of your choice. Our premises have private rooms available for viewings and service rooms. We can provide contact advice for bereavement counselling. Kirkcaldy arrangement room 9

10 Your choices Burial or cremation? If a burial, do you have an existing lair or will you require help with purchasing a new one? If a cremation do you want the coffin to be carried in or placed on the catafalque before the service? Catering If you require funeral catering we can liaise with the hotel of your choice for the refreshments you request. Will you prefer a choice of drinks or specific drinks on arrival? Collection You may wish to gather offerings for your favourite charity. It is our policy to hand this money over to a nominated family member at the end of the funeral. Floral Tributes Wreaths, sprays or themed arrangements of your favourite flowers with selected colours can be arranged on your behalf from reputable local florists. Green Funeral As one of the founder members of the Association of Green Funeral Directors we are able to offer you whatever `green options for a funeral are available in your area. Please ask us for more details. 10

11 Music Music of your choice can be played either on the organ, in CD format, ipod or bagpipes. Consider selections that may be meaningful to you or the deceased. This can be played as mourners enter (voluntary in) and/or leave (voluntary out) the service and also as part of the service. Order of Service Sheets These can be personalised to include a colour photograph or a special poem of your choice. There is no extra charge for this service. Participants The service can be conducted by a priest, minister, civil celebrant, humanist official, a relative, friend or by a Crosbie Matthew representative. We can make the necessary arrangements on your behalf. Service Will it take place in the funeral director s service room, a church, the crematorium or grave-side? Are there favourite passages or poems you would like to be read? Would you like balloons or doves released at the graveside? Timing What day and times will be most suitable for all participants? Vehicles We have a fleet of chauffeur driven black hearses and limousines. We can also provide a horse-drawn carriage for the funeral. Is there a certain route you would like the vehicles to take? Will there be a cortege and if so where will it leave from? 11

12 Viewing Information Visits to the viewing rooms in Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes are strictly by appointment only. By making an appointment we can make sure that several families do not vist at the same time; thus saving you inconvenience and possible distress. Our opening times are: 8:30 am 4:30 pm Monday to Friday 9:00am 11:30 pm Saturday Contact us at the appropriate number below to organise a date and time for a viewing. Kirkcaldy Glenrothes Please inform us immediately if there are to be any restrictions for viewing, or any special requests. 12

13 After the Funeral After the funeral is over, we will contact you within a few days to see if we can help you further, for example, acknowledgements in the newspaper, memorial stones, added inscriptions or with any other matters you may wish to describe. Our account for the funeral, which will have been estimated to you fully at the time of arrangements, will be sent to you within ten days. This may be paid by cash, cheque or debit/credit card over the phone. At this stage we ask you for feedback on our performance and welcome any comments you may have through a Comments Please leaflet. Feedback from families enables us to continue to meet your individual needs and maintain the high standards which we strive for. 13

14 Kirkcaldy Funeral Home Glenrothes Funeral Home

15 Kirkcaldy Foyer Kirkcaldy service room Seats: 60 Glenrothes Foyer Glenrothes service room Seats: 100 Glen. arrangement room

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17 Memorial Services Following the loss of a loved one, many people find comfort in arranging a lasting tribute to their life. The options available are varied and depend very much on your wishes. Crosbie Matthew will guide you through the possibilities and make the necessary arrangements. We have a memorial display in both our Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes premises where we provide a comprehensive range of memorial services which can be tailored to you own design. We can offer a range of granite memorial stones, flower vases and markers, and wrought iron flower stands. We can also help you with renovating and cleaning existing stones and adding inscriptions to memorials. 17

18 Cremated Remains It s not always easy to decide on a final resting place for cremated remains. We know from experience that if you re unsure, you re best to take your time and make a decision that you and your family are all happy with. We also know, however, that if you put it off for too long, it becomes increasingly difficult to do. Try to think of somewhere that you ll be happy to visit in the future, and where you ll have peace to think your own thoughts. Here are some ideas that might help you. Scatter the remains in the Gardens of Remembrance You can have the remains scattered in the Gardens of Remembrance at the crematorium. You and your family can be there while this is done, and you can also have a member of the clergy or an official there, too. Alternatively, you might prefer not to be there. It s your decision. Memorial and Book of Remembrance About two to three weeks after the funeral, the crematorium will send you some information about the types of memorial you can buy for cremated remains. They will also tell you about their Book of Remembrance. 18

19 Bury the remains in a cemetery You can put the remains in a special oak casket and bury it in an existing family lair, or in a newly purchased one. We can help you to do this. Some people hold a small service with family, friends and sometimes clergy present. Scatter the remains in a special place Some people choose to scatter the remains in a place that was special to the deceased for example, in the sea, on a garden, at the top of a hill, on a favourite walk or over a football ground. Some people plant them underneath a bush or a tree. Please talk to us if you have any ideas that you re not sure about. After three months, we ll get in touch with you to help you decide what you would like to do. We can keep the remains at our funeral homes for up to six months, but after that we will contact you and ask you to collect them, until you make a decision. 19 Ashes to glass paperweight

20 Lock of hair bangle Fingerprint ring

21 Teardrop cremated remains keepsake Fingerprint cufflinks

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23 Golden Charter pre-payment plans For lots of people, planning their funeral is like making a will they know what they want to happen, and they don t want to leave this to chance. They want to spare their family the stress of making decisions on their behalf when they aren t there for their family to consult them. For these reasons, more than 40,000 people in the UK have taken out a funeral plan. The Independent Way Plan is one of the Golden Charter pre-payment plans that we offer our clients. You can specify every detail of your funeral in advance, and make sure that all of the known costs are covered. These costs are set at today s prices, and they are guaranteed to cover all services, no matter what is required. Many of us find it difficult to bring up the subject of last requests with family and friends, so often it never gets done. But the consequence of this is that, when the time comes, family and friends don t know what you want and this can be very stressful for them. We can help here. We have compiled a pack that will enable you to write down exactly what you want to happen before, during and after your funeral, and we ll hold your notes safely in trust until they are needed. People find that doing this gives them peace of mind, and it also makes things so much easier for those who are left behind. We do not charge for this service. 23

24 Crosbie Matthew in the Community All of us at Crosbie Matthew live locally, and all of us are committed to supporting our local and international community. We each have an annual allocation for a charity of our choice, and in this way we ve supported all sorts of initiatives from after-school clubs to rescue dog and cat charities. Kirkcaldy Foodbank The Kirkcaldy Foodbank was set up in December Its aim is for nobody to go hungry during a time of crisis in the Kirkcaldy area, and everybody to share what they can. It takes donations of food and distributes them to people who need them most via a number of referral agencies in the area. One of our staff members is a regular volunteer, and during Christmas we have a remembrance tree in both our Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy offices, where we welcome donations for the foodbank. Mary s Meals Mary s Meals is an initiative that sets up feeding projects in some of the world s poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education. It began by feeding 200 children in Malawi in 2002 and now feeds over 860,000 children every school day. Mary s Meals aims to provide one daily meal in a place of learning to attract chronically poor children into a classroom where they receive an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty. 24

25 Midwifery courses Alan Morrison regularly gives a PowerPoint presentation to second and third year students at the Kirkcaldy campus of the University of Dundee School of Nursing and Midwifery. He covers topics such as changing practices in the care of the deceased, giving bereaved relatives correct information and paperwork, and helping families to understand what happens next. He also explains the role of the Funeral Director and the embalmer, what happens during the cremation process and what happens behind the scenes. Mercy ships These ships are crewed by volunteer doctors, nurses, water engineers and agriculturalists. They visit some of the world s poorest countries to bring hope, support, knowledge and healing to thousands of people. Rotary clubs Alan Morrison and Sheila Matthew work within Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy Rotary Clubs to raise money for worthy causes in the local area and beyond. The clubs also work with local primary and secondary schools to hold events such as quizzes and recital competitions, and to sponsor young people to take part in worthy projects in other countries. 25

26 Roundabouts We sponsor the planting of colourful, seasonal flowers at the roundabouts near our offices in Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes to enrich the natural environment of the local area for everyone to enjoy. 26

27 A sign of trust Crosbie Matthew are proud to be members of SAIF (Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors). This association require members to demonstrate a high standard of service and a caring, professional approach at all times. As well as subscribing to the Codes of Practice of SAIF, details of which are available on request, Crosbie Matthew also make the following promise and commitment to you: Availability: We will personally answer the telephone 24 hours a day and respond to your call. Continuity of support: One fully trained funeral director will be responsible for your funeral arrangements and take care of you throughout. Punctuality: At all times we will keep our appointments, at their agreed times, or telephone you to inform you of any changes. Respect: We will respect your wishes and the dignity of the deceased at all times. Standards: Fully maintained and immaculate premises and vehicles will be available for your use. Guarantee: If there are any unforeseen circumstances we will deal with the situation calmly and appropriately. 27

28 199 Nicol Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY1 1PF t: Church Street, Glenrothes, Fife, KY7 5ND t: @crosbiematthew.co.uk