East of England Co-op opens its 60th Funeral Services branch

The East of England Co-op has opened its 60th Funeral Services branch, continuing its expansion of the business.

The new branch, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, offers personal and flexible care, as well as a free bereavement support service. It follows the opening last year of a new Funeral Services branch in Ely – the society’s first in Cambridgeshire. 

Head of specialist services Andrew Dawes said: “Our continued investment in our funeral services is part of our strategy to be the funeral directors of choice across the region. Our co-op’s focus on the community is at the very core of our ethos, so we are proud to open a new branch in Lowestoft and extend the support we are able to offer local families.”

He added: “It is our privilege to look after families in the East of England at the most difficult of times. We believe little things make the biggest difference and our team’s first priority is always to provide a service with compassion at the forefront.

“Services such as free bereavement support mean we can continue supporting families at every stage through the funeral arranging process and afterwards.”

Running the new Lowestoft branch, on Westwood Avenue, will be funeral director and former Lowestoft Mayor Nick Webb, who has been with the East of England Co-op Funeral Services since 2015.

The new branch will provide funeral arranging services, guidance on monumental masonry, information on pre-paid funeral plans as well as offer Chapel of Rest facilities.

Mr Webb said: “It is an absolute privilege to open the East of England Co-op’s 60^th Funeral Services branch. As a local councillor, and through my work with the East of England Co-op, I am very fortunate to be able to spend my life supporting the people and community I care about.”

Mr Webb’s wife Sarah runs the Co-op’s existing Lowestoft branch on Oulton Road.

The couple are well-known for their community work and during Nick’s tenure as Mayor last year, they supported Lowestoft’s branch of the Alzheimer’s Society.

With personal experience of the disease, Nick and Sarah were inspired to support the charity after becoming Dementia Friends, having completed the East of England Co-op’s award-winning Dementia Awareness training programme for colleagues to help improve the lives of customers and colleagues, living and working with dementia.

• For more information visit www.eastofengland.coop/funerals or call 01473 786000.