A helping hand when grieving
Over the past year the coronavirus pandemic has caused heartache for families across the UK. Many people have either struggled to deal with the illness itself or had their lives turned upside down because of lockdown restrictions.
And, of course, for some that heartache has been made even more unbearable by the loss of a loved one.
Research from Co-op Funeralcare, the UK’s leading funeral provider, has shown at least 8 million people experienced the sudden death of someone close last year*. And in the past six months, one in 10 of those deaths was due to Covid-19.
More than a quarter of people said the unexpected nature of their loss had a greater impact on them, and that the crisis had left them unable to grieve in the way they normally would.
But Co-op Funeralcare believes distance shouldn’t mean we can’t share and find ways to work through our grief.
Not only does it offer practical help so that families can say their goodbyes with love and dignity, it also works with specialist bereavement organisations and charities to support people through the grieving process.
While Covid restrictions have meant that funerals have had to be conducted slightly differently, Co-op Funeralcare’s level of care has not changed. Managing director of Co-op Funeralcare, Sam Tyrer, says: “Our colleagues have seen first-hand the devastating impact of the pandemic and the wave of grief that followed. We will continue to work closely with dedicated and brilliant organisations to make sure the voices of the bereaved are heard.”
In a video from 2016 that you can still find online, director George Slater boasts: “I’m very proud of the work we do here.”
His company GreenUrban Technologies Limited had just won the Environment and Emissions Excellence Award 2016.
“We’ve been given this award because of the work we’ve done reducing emissions, mainly on plant machinery and off-road machines but also because of what we do with trucks and buses all across the UK,” he said.
Rory Stewart, then Environment Minister, chipped in: “It’s fantastic to see companies like GreenUrban producing catalytic converters that are allowing us to have clean air.”
Trouble is, Slater’s company submitted false applications to the Energy Saving Trust on buses that it knew had failed emissions tests, an Insolvency Service report has revealed.
The Trust withdrew GreenUrban’s accreditation when it discovered the false figures.
That caused an expensive problem for the clients who’d paid GreenUrban around £1,500,000 to have vehicles modified to be compliant with Clean Air Zones and who are now facing extra costs of more than £340,000.
At least 20 vehicles retrofitted by GreenUrban and operating in London are subject to charges of £100 every day, according to an Insolvency Service report.
Slater, 37 years old and from Penrith, Cumbria, has now been banned from being a director for six years.
‘‘ Banned for six years after fiddling emission results