Noble Funeral Service Ltd.

Funeral Director

Fiona Campitelli. This is Fiona’s company, she set it up in 2009, and since then it has become woven into the fabric of her life. She’s immensely proud of it, and rightly so; this is an absolutely lovely little independent funeral company that offers completely personal service to every client. A glance through the testimonials on her website gives insight into just how special this service is to her clients – the words kind’, ‘considerate’ and ‘thoughtful’ crop up over and over again, alongside more intimate reflections  – “My life fell apart. Fiona picked me back up and cradled all of us through the most traumatic, painful moments.”

Fiona first became aware of the possibility of working in the funeral sector as a young girl. When she was a teenager, she spent school holidays with her Nan and Grandad, her mother’s parents, after whom she named her company. She can still recall the sounds and scents of her Grandad’s funeral workshop, the smell of freshly cut wood, the sawing and hammering as coffins were masterfully created. It was the beginning of a life-long love of the world of funerals, and a determination that she would become a part of it.

Fiona’s school career’s advisor was less than impressed when Fiona told her she wanted to become an undertaker. In the late Seventies, this was not an approved career for a young woman, girls were steered towards nursing or secretarial futures. Neither appealed to Fiona, but it was a while before she was able to follow her dream. As her children grew up, in 1997 she took a job at a local funeral director working as a funeral arranger at a local company in Aldershot. She describes this as ‘a role that required sensitivity, organisational skills, and the ability to guide grieving families through the process. I listened to their stories, their memories of loved ones, and helped create meaningful ceremonies.”

A few years later, in 2002, Fiona qualified as a funeral director, studying for and gaining the Diploma in Funeral Directing. She went to work for larger funeral companies, learning about their different ways of working, and then in 2008 she obtained a Diploma in Funeral Service Management. She had immersed herself in acquiring all the additional skills to her natural empathy and compassion that were required to run a funeral business, and the following year, in 2009, with her husband’s complete support, she turned down a job opportunity and decided to open her own funeral home.

The couple invested all of their savings into fulfilling Fiona’s dream, and after looking for suitable premises (with understanding landlords!) for a few weeks, they found the property at Mytchett Road, which was to become Noble Funeral Service’s home.

All of Fiona’s years of experience and knowledge have been poured into her company, and 15 years on, the funeral home is exactly how she envisioned it could be. The premises are lovely, located on a corner plot in a residential area, with two large windows and ample parking outside. You enter into a reception space which is light and airy; Fiona is usually seated at her desk here, and there is a comfy sofa for anyone just dropping in for a chat.

Behind the reception area, (through a door next to a partition wall with a huge window) is a comfortable arrangement room, set out like a living room, with a gorgeous Chesterfield  settee and chairs around a coffee table.

Going further into the building you come to the chapel of rest where you can spend time with the person who has died. There is bespoke lighting which can be adjusted to suit, and it is simply but tastefully decorated. Beyond the chapel of rest is the impeccable mortuary, fully equipped and spotlessly clean. A door at the rear of the mortuary leads to a small holding area, again, absolutely immaculate, and then beyond that are the rear doors of the building that open onto a private, secure yard. No buildings overlook it, and a secure fence ensures privacy. A canopy provides cover immediately outside the doors, while at the opposite end of the (immaculate) yard, two garages house the Mercedes hearse and limousine, both polished to a gleaming finish.

Everything is spotless and tidy. Plants thrive on the windowsill of the little kitchen, piles of facecloths are neatly stowed, boxes of PPE are stacked tidily in a storage unit, there’s no clutter or mess anywhere. Even the sinks in the mortuary area shine like new. People who have died are cared for beautifully, resting in the refrigeration unit wrapped in sheets, to preserve their dignity until they are prepared for their funeral.

There’s a sense of absolute order and control throughout, which imbues innate confidence in Fiona. She knows what she is doing, and she does it exceptionally well, both behind the scenes and in her interactions with clients.

Specific gravity

Without a doubt it is the personal service and attention that you will receive from Fiona. She will come and collect the person who has died, she will meet with you and listen to you, having a conversation about your person and what you want to do to honour their life, she will guide you through the many different options and choices, offer advice and suggestions and ideas, deal with officialdom on your behalf and put everything in place for you so that you can concentrate on your grief.

Fiona prefers to be able to really focus on the clients who choose her, she’s not looking to grow her business or attract huge numbers of people to choose her services, so she’s content to have just a few clients at a time. She works with a small team of hand-picked colleagues who assist her when needed, but it’s mostly just her doing everything. This dedication and commitment means that if you choose Noble Funeral Service, you are getting Fiona at your service.

What’s important

We asked Fiona what was important to her about her work, and she told us that the most important thing for her was to care. We sense that this means she works very much in tune with each person who chooses her company, listening carefully, making people feel relaxed, at ease and unrushed.

Her years of experience, her knowledge and her natural skill at her job mean that clients will quickly feel safe and have trust in her. Her determination to make every client feel like the only person she is working with will only enhance this feeling of confidence for bereaved people looking for her support. Nothing is too much trouble.

She thinks carefully about how to make things as easy as possible for her clients, and has shaped her business to reflect this. She uses an estate car when she goes to collect people from where they have died, she wouldn’t want someone she loved taken away in a van, so she has chosen a different kind of transport for this important part of bereaved people’s experience. If clients want a specific date and time that she can’t accommodate herself, she will hire in staff and vehicles as needed, to ensure that her clients have what they want.

What’s different

We were really struck by the impression that Fiona makes on  people  – not just her clients, but also on people who she works alongside. The references we received were outstanding, and the many testimonials and Google reviews all have a common theme, of bereaved people having been totally supported and empowered by choosing Fiona to take care of the funeral.

In these days of large corporate companies running funeral services, the one-to-one personal service is becoming increasingly rare. As both owner and manager of the business, Fiona can make instant decisions rather than seeking permission from someone else. This is so important, just let her know what you are thinking about doing and she will be able to answer straight away. She is responsive and supportive for any requests or ideas; during the process of applying for accreditation, Fiona was approached by a client who wanted her to assist with her plans to drive her mother’s body herself to Wales, for burial in a natural burial ground. By the time we met with Fiona, this had all been successfully completed and a lovely testimonial from the client was on Fiona’s website, ending with “I can only thank this magnificent lady from the bottom of my heart. You are blessed and your passion and caring nature shines through. Fiona and her whole team are an absolute credit to the industry they represent.”

Services

• Prices: For the personal service that you receive, Noble Funeral Service offer superb value for money. Prices can be found here. We particularly like the way that Fiona has chosen to breakdown her prices so that the care of the person who has died is valued properly.
• Your first call will be answered by Fiona, or, if she is not available, her colleague who helps her, Niki Handover. (Niki is also a qualified funeral director, holding the Diploma in Funeral Directing  as well as being a member of the British Institute of Embalming and a Tutor.)
• Home visits: Absolutely, if this is what you prefer.
• Family participation: Very much encouraged.
• Same sex person to wash and dress: Yes, Fiona and Niki will usually look after the person who has died but Fiona has a team of trusted male colleagues who she can call on if need be.
• Embalming: Fiona believes that proper care of people who have died will mean that embalming is rarely needed, other than in specific circumstances. If clients want their person to be brought home for a period of time before the funeral, she will make a considered decision about whether to recommend embalming, taking everything into account, and obviously if someone is being internationally repatriated then their body must be embalmed, but otherwise it is rare for her to recommend that embalming takes place. When it is necessary, she employs a well-known and highly respected company to come and carry out this specialised work.
• Ethnic or cultural specialism: Fiona can provide funerals for clients of any faith, culture or ethnicity. She is trusted by the local traveller community, and has carried out many funerals for them.
• Home arranged funerals: Very happy to support anyone who wants to do most or all of the organising of a funeral themselves.
• Local celebrants: Fiona works closely with several celebrants who she trusts, both male and female. If a client asks her to find a celebrant for their ceremony, she will always try and ensure that the person she recommends is a good fit with the client and the person who has died. If she recommends someone and the client doesn’t want them, then she will find an alternative. Fiona always sits in on the ceremony, so she has a good knowledge of the calibre and quality of celebrants she works with.
• Website: Easy to navigate website, with all the information you need. We would like to see a little more about Fiona, as this company is so very reflective of her personality and ethos. She’s not naturally a person who wants to be front and centre, so this isn’t necessarily something she would do without encouragement, but we feel that potential clients looking at the website would find it very beneficial to learn more about her.
• Client support: Excellent –  Fiona looks after clients all the way through the time she is working with them. She keeps people informed, answers any questions and is always available, and will stay in close contact throughout. On the day before the funeral she will usually call and make sure that her client is reassured about all the arrangements
• Money matters: Competitive pricing, payment is required in advance of the funeral – as Fiona says, ‘we both know where we stand then’.
• Parking: Plenty of parking outside the premises including disabled parking.

Remarks

If you are looking for a well-balanced, experienced, professional funeral director who will be completely dedicated to ensuring that you and the person who has died are taken care of really, really well, then you won’t find better than Fiona.

She is honest, kind, thoughtful and committed, and she has years of experience and knowledge under her belt. Both her company and her premises reflect her high standards, she’s open and transparent about everything and you will be welcome to visit her  mortuary to look at where your person will be cared for, and to satisfy yourself that everything is in order.

Fiona cares for her staff and for herself, as well as for her clients and the people she looks after – she has created a healthy work / life balance with the constant support of her husband. She refers to him simply as ‘My rock’, and his loyal backing and encouragement has helped her to flourish in her work. She has a superb reputation locally and further afield, and has good relations with colleagues and other professionals, the many people who work together to ensure that a funeral runs smoothly.

When we met with Fiona, in July 2024, she had recently undergone a rigorous inspection by the local authority’s Environmental Health officers as part of a nationwide programme, ensuring that funeral directors have premises that are fit for purpose with proper systems in place. The inspectors were fully satisfied that all was in order.

This practical exploration  of  processes, premises and equipment, combined with our unique accreditation process (we look closely at emotional intelligence, approach to work and the background and motivation of each applicant, culminating in the detailed interview we have with every funeral director that applies) means that all aspects of Noble Funeral  Service have been thoroughly examined and found to be absolutely first class.

We are delighted to add Noble Funeral Service to our list of GFG recommended funeral directors