‘I wanted a job with real meaning’
BEN Bassett always knew he wanted a job where he could have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Ben, 30, has been working for the Co-op brand for a decade now, although his previous role was in the food side of the business. He became aware of the incredible work that Co-op Funeralcare does after becoming involved with community activities in Crownhill, Plymouth, where he now works as a funeral director.
“I knew I wanted to do a job with real meaning, and when the role came up four years ago I just went for it,” Ben says. “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
“When you’re personalising funerals, it’s important to try to work out the little details that will make a service special for a family – and then really embrace that.
“One nice thing we’ve seen is people going home to their own houses and then all raising a glass at the same time. Looking ahead, I think we’re going to see even more personalisation of funerals.”
“You’ll find that everyone has an interesting story to tell, whether it’s about hobbies, pets, something they loved… There is a fine balance to be struck. You can’t be too intrusive – it’s about gaining the trust of a family and then building that relationship.
“You get a massive variance on the idea of customising a funeral. Some people go all out with a theme, while others want more restrained detail. For one family I wore a simple pin of a seahorse because the deceased had loved them, while another person was a huge fan of colourful fish, so we designed their coffin to look like a tropical tank; the whole thing was wrapped in a bespoke print.
“The fallout from Covid-19 has been tough, but people have used ingenious ways to celebrate the loss of a loved one. One nice thing we’ve seen is people going home to their own houses and then all raising a glass at the same time. Looking ahead, I think we’re going to see even more personalisation of funerals.”