A family-oriented service

Funeral directors are one of those services that you rarely speak about, until you desperately need it, that is. Yet, for one Honley family taking care of grieving families has been their life for more than half a century.

Like many funeral directors, Honley’s Radcliffe Funeral Service started out as a joinery and funeral business run by Brian Radcliffe. Having crafted the coffins, it was common for joiners, such as Brian, to ‘undertake’ the funerals on behalf of the family; hence the term ‘undertakers’.

In 1976, Brian’s daughter Gwen joined the family business, and it was Gwen who changed the direction of Radcliffe Funeral Service. It was from Gwen’s natural empathy and compassion with grieving families that the caring, family-oriented company you see today grew.

For many years Gwen provided funeral services from the family home on Church Street. Today, there are welcoming premises on Westgate where Gwen and the team including husband, Andrew, and son, James, meet bereaved families. It’s here that they talk through the help and support they can offer along with the little personal things that mean so much to a family.

A true privilege

While you might assume that dealing with bereaved families every day is a tough job, James says that usually quite the opposite is true.

“Yes there are tears, but there can also be laughter too. Our chats give the family an opportunity to remember the good times they spent with their loved ones. For us, as funeral directors, we see it as a privilege to be trusted to care for the bereaved. That’s why everything we do is focussed on caring for all the family,” says James.

The fact that Radcliffe’s is a family-run company and well known to many in the community offers added reassurance to grieving families. One gentleman summed up exactly the service that Radcliffe offers to all clients, saying: ‘We feel as if it’s your family looking after ours’.

Caring and knowledgeable

One of the bewildering problems when dealing with the sudden or expected death of a loved one can be knowing what to do. That’s when the knowledge and experience of Gwen and everyone at Radcliffe Funeral Service can help.

They are all qualified funeral directors, and have a long list of practical accreditations that demonstrate the high level of care offered throughout, to both families and the deceased.

The care offered by Radcliffe’s extends beyond the funeral service, and often for several months. They can arrange graves to be tended, ashes interred and more.

All about you

Radcliffe Funeral Service is Honley through and through. They know local people, work with local businesses and support local organisations. And everything comes back to family. If you need them, you’ll always find someone at the end of a phone, no matter what time of day or night it is, ready to listen and help.

They even make the financial side easy for you too, with all the necessary and optional costs available to see on their website. If you find yourself, sadly, needing Radcliffe Funeral Service, you and your loved one couldn’t be in better hands.