VIP guests tour new funeral home

One guest was local Horncastle resident Priscilla Burbidge (pictured below, left) whose parents, Christopher and Alice, rented the building in the 1940s as a draper's shop. Inside they sold women’s and men’s clothing, fabrics, baby prams, children’s toys and more.

Priscilla said: “Walking around the funeral home has been quite emotional and brought back many lovely memories from when I was a little girl, like watching the dressmakers sew and looking at the fish in the river nearby.

“I’m completely blown away by the building and learning about how it’s been updated to provide an exceptional service for the community, it’s been surreal to see the transformation of such a historic building.”

A community open day is also being held on Saturday 18^th October between 10am and 2pm to encourage conversations surrounding funerals and showcase the funeral home’s facilities. 

The £1.2m funeral home can be found at the former Travis Perkins building merchants site on Bridge Street, with the team relocating from the existing funeral home at Market Place. 

Inside, there’s an improved layout and a range of pastoral care services including a dedicated arrangement office, a chapel of rest and private reflection spaces for families. 

It will be more accessible for visitors, being all on one level, with seven dedicated client car parking spaces. 

The new facility’s design, developed by Framework Architects, honours the building’s heritage with a reinstated frontage. The building’s main entrance, facing onto Bridge Street, has be restored, and the existing glazing has been replaced with a large Georgian-style window. 

The conversion programme included work to the roof, restoration of all windows and significant work to the building’s interior. It was undertaken by contractors TopCon Building, based in Grimsby. 

Lincolnshire Co-op is currently seeing major refurbishments take place under its cyclical refresh programme, which will see work happen at around 40 of its outlets annually, with an estimated yearly investment of £5 million. 

Opening with a fresh and modern look, the outlet incorporates wooden textures and a natural colour palette of purple and green, creating a warm and calming space for clients. 

This is a new funeral home for the society and the Horncastle community but it’s also a fresh look that will shape Lincolnshire Co-op’s future funeral branch refits and brand-new funeral homes. 

Solar panels have also been installed on the funeral home’s roof, contributing to the co-operative’s sustainability strategy.

When members use their dividend card in all Lincolnshire Co-op outlets, donations are made to the society’s Community Champions scheme which helps hundreds of local charities each year. Banovallum Brass Training Band and First Horncastle Guides are currently benefitting from funding raised in Lincolnshire Co-op’s Horncastle outlets. 

Funeral colleagues have also undertaken community outreach by helping at the Horncastle Community Larder during Horncastle’s Harvest Horse Festival, receiving over 1,500 donations and inviting local people to the open day. 

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Horncastle Funeral Home Director, Carla Kennedy, said: “We’re thrilled to be opening the doors to our new funeral home to the community. It’s been wonderful to welcome our visitors inside so they can see the quality of our facilities and the care we provide.

“It’s a great privilege to continue supporting local families and the team takes great pride in being here for our clients when they need us most.”