Family Tree Funeral Company

Funeral Directors Category: South West England

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  • Jane Diamond (on right in photo)

    Quite possibly, Jane will find the prominence of her name in this review uncomfortable. She has an instinctive preference to be in the background rather than the foreground, seeing her role as supportive and professional rather than the centre of attention. But it’s Jane who is the quiet strength and constant presence behind this lovely  funeral company in Stroud.

    Jane has been part of Family Tree Funeral Company since she met the founder, James Showers in 2018. They instantly clicked and James invited Jane to attend a funeral with him. She stayed working with James from that day onwards, learning every aspect of the work from him. When James retired in June 2023, Jane and her husband Gianluca Corrado bought the company from him, with a promise to continue to run it along the lines on which he had founded it; to ‘bring life to the end of life’, as he would say, to empower families and to make positive change.

    James created Family Tree Funeral Company in 2005 – having worked at larger, corporate funeral companies, he was determined to bring a different, person-centred approach to serving the people of Stroud and the surrounding areas. James remains a good friend and mentor for both Jane and Gianluca as they take the company forward and he enjoys a well earned retirement.

    Jane is committed to normalising the subject of death. She sees this as fundamentally important, and something that has the potential to transform out culture. A qualified body psychotherapist, she has a deep understanding of issues of attachment and separation, and she naturally  finds people and families and family dynamics fascinating. She is devoted to trying to help people become better connected and more comfortable with awareness of death, and her background – which also includes training in end-of-life planning and beginning training as a death doula – is ideal for someone planning a quiet revolution.

    She is 100% up for this – ‘Death awareness is political activism’, she says. ‘Overall, we are very disconnected in our culture – disconnected from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, from nature and the environment, from the spiritual / non material world. This disconnection leads to inner ennui, anxiety, depression and lack of purpose. We are taken up with consumerism, and less compassionate than we should be. Awareness of death leads naturally to us being more compassionate, which leads to greater connection and less need to consume.”  A quiet revolution indeed.

     

     Specific Gravity

    You can get the essence of Family Tree by looking at the website – it’s a wealth of information, beautifully presented in a way that doesn’t overwhelm. Dip in and out, read the blog posts and browse the information sections. You’ll absorb knowledge and become familiar with the empowering approach that Jane and her team have to their work.

    This attention to detail is also evident when you visit the premises in Middle Street. Outside, it is immediately attractive, with large picture windows flanking the door in this quiet street close to the town centre. The window displays are changed quarterly, sometimes reflecting the season, other times with a specific theme. You step into a large attractive space furnished with comfortable seating and lots of plants. It’s spacious, light and bright and homely, with comfortable rugs on the floor. To the right is the office area, where Jane has her desk and Gianluca and Catherine also have workspace, while gorgeous curtains at the rear of of the space screen the area where you can spend time with the person who has died and where they are cared for.  It is all very beautiful, and the air is scented with essential oils. The premises are self-contained, so when people are brought into the care of Family Tree, this is where they will be until the day of the funeral.

    What’s Important?

    Jane and Catherine work a lot harder than most to ensure you know what your choices are and have the information you need to craft a funeral that reflects your values and represents the life of the person who has died. You can be as involved as you wish, or Jane and the team can do it all for you – whatever’s best for you. Family Tree is dedicated to inspiring families to reclaim their right to say their goodbyes in precisely the way they want.

    What’s Different?

    With Jane and Catherine working with you, you will feel as if you are dealing with friends rather than a representative of a profession. There are no questions that are off limits, nor suggestions that they wouldn’t do their very best to make happen. Tis makes them an outlier among the more traditional funeral businesses in the area, and they are also the only funeral business owned and run by a woman!

    Local people looking for a progressive or alternative approach have always found their way to Family Tree, but Jane and her team are equally adept at supporting families who want a completely traditional funeral. They are used to carrying out funerals in churches and the local crematoria and can be as formal as you want, or as dressed down – it’s entirely up to you. The one thing Jane draws the line at though, is the thought of being asked to dress in Faux Victorian-style funeral wear for a funeral; “That would be a dealbreaker for me'” she says, “I simply could not do my job if I had to dress in a costume!”

    As Jane settles into the role she has stepped up to, taking James’s legacy forward and making that positive change, she has plans of making Family Tree much more than just  a funeral directing business. Her dream is for it to be a holistic hub for all things to do with the end of life; a community death centre where people can come in for advice and support with end of life planning, be put in contact with a death doula, be helped to create beautiful ceremonies or simply learn more about changing how we relate to death and dying. She is actively working towards this, giving talks, running events and continuing with the Death Cafe all the while ensuring that every funeral they are entrusted with is as perfect as possible.

     

    Services

    • The phone is always answered by Jane or Catherine and you’ll deal with them throughout. There’s no out-sourcing to call centres or to staff to take calls late at night.
    • If your person has died at home, Jane will accompany Gianluca to collect them and bring them back to Middle Street.
    • Meetings to discuss arrangements for the funeral can take place at your home if you prefer, or you can meet Jane or Catherine at their lovely premises.
    • If you want to look after your person yourself after they have died then Jane and Catherine will be happy to advise and support you to do so.
    • Same-sex person to prepare and dress your person’s body if you wish, and of course you can come and help if you want to be involved – this is positively encouraged and facilitated.
    • Embalming is seldom needed. It will be offered only if really necessary.
    • Family involvement is encouraged. If you have sufficient people to carry the coffin for the funeral then great; not only will that make it far more personal, but it will save you paying for pall bearers.
    • Family Tree’s usual vehicle is a dark blue Mercedes E-class estate, modified at the back to take a coffin, but if you want a hearse then they will hire one.
    • Great website here, with prices listed for their various services.
    • You may find parking on Middle Street itself, Otherwise, use the pay and display car park on Parliament Street. Walk down the steps at the Nelson Street exit and turn left, then go left at the Golden Fleece and Family Tree is right there on Middle Street.

    Remarks

    Exactly the right people, and a rare find, for anyone wanting a highly personal funeral. Great value for the service you receive. Jane and Catherine are some of the most humane people you will ever meet, and highly capable. We like them very much indeed.

     

    Any decisions you take on engaging the services of a funeral director should be based on your views and research. You should not rely solely upon the views and opinions offered by us.