Funeral Partners keeping connected with the community

Keeping connected with loved ones and learning

Funeral Partners’ businesses across Northern Ireland donated computer tablets to help care home residents and schoolchildren stay connected with their families and assist with their learning during the pandemic.

Funeral Partners ordered the Amazon Fire 7 tablets for each of its 17 funeral homes in Northern Ireland to donate to their local communities as they saw fit for Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Barbara Wilson, Senior Funeral Arranger at John Gray & Co Funeral Directors in Holywood, said: “So many people have suffered from not being able to see those closest to them, especially elderly individuals who may not be too familiar with the benefits of modern technology.”

John Gray & Co chose to gift its tablet to Sir Samuel Kelly Home, a care home run by the Salvation Army which the funeral directors regularly donate food and flowers boxes to.

Sharon Boyd, Manager at Sir Samuel Kelly Home,

John McKibbin, Funeral Arranger at James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors, donating a tablet to Isabel Harper, Manager at Aaron House

said: “The tablet John Gray & Co donated was a really kind and thoughtful gesture which has greatly enhanced the lives of many residents at the home.”

John McKibbin, Funeral Arranger at James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors, Dundonald, discovered the residential care home Aaron House was in need of technology to support its residents, so delivered the new tablet along with some flowers and biscuits on Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Isabel Harper, Manager at Aaron House, said: “We were delighted to receive the Kindle tablet which is of great benefit to our residents here in Aaron House, helping them to keep in touch with their loved ones and giving them the opportunity to enjoy music, watch videos, cartoons, etc.”

Other funeral homes including James Brown & Sons on Newtownards Road and Lisburn Road distributed tablets to local schools and are already making plans for Random Acts of Kindness Day 2022.

Funeral Partners emphasises importance of mental health and staying connected during the pandemic

Faced with social distancing restrictions and pressures imposed by the coronavirus outbreak, it’s never been more important for individuals to unwind and look after their mental health, and those in the funeral industry are no exception.

Social distancing has severely limited recreational options and the ability to stay in touch with loved ones. That’s why a number of members of the Funeral Partners family in Northern Ireland have got creative to take time for themselves and others. Funeral Partners is interested in further expansion in Northern Ireland and would be happy to have an informal and confidential chat with any Funeral Directors who are considering selling their businesses. Contact Chief Executive Officer Sam Kershaw, directly on 07834 531822 or email: sam.kershaw@ funeralpartners.co.uk or Acquisition & Mergers Director Steve Wilkinson on 07528 970 531 or email: steve.wilkinson@funeralpartners.co.uk

www.funeralpartnersnorthernireland.com

The treasure hunting Funeral Director

Mike Smith, Funeral Director at John Gray & Co, found an adventurous way to explore beautiful County Down with the help of a treasure hunting app.

He has so far uncovered over 60 disguised caches through Geocaching, a smartphone app that lets users hide trinkets, messages and more for people across the world to discover via GPS.

He said: “Geocaching has been a fantastic way to achieve a sense of adventure and escapism, which is hard to do during lockdown restrictions.

“I initially got into Geocaching to give me more reason to go outside for exercise, and was surprised at how rewarding it is to uncover the range of caches and log Mike Smith Geocaching

them into my profile on the app.” Mike has discovered a variety of caches including ‘trackables’, which are small game pieces that can be moved from geocache to geocache, while others require taking out a small trinket or toy and leaving something of similar value in return. He said: “One of the most interesting caches I have found to date was shaped like a pinecone.”

Mike hopes to find many more caches in the coming months and has considered hiding some of his own for fellow adventurers to discover.