Third year anniversary sees successful Diamond Partnership expansion

SAIF is pleased to see the Diamond Partnership, our industry leading initiative with Westerleigh and Distinct Cremations, enter its third year.

The scheme has become a vital part of the modern independent funeral director’s service offering at a time when venture capital-backed corporations are attempting to commodify funerals with direct cremation.

To mark the Partnership’s anniversary, SAIF and Westerleigh have expanded the range of attended and unattended options available to participating SAIF-accredited funeral directors.

These include The Direct Cremation Funeral Director to Crematorium, The Direct Cremation and Collection, The Witnessed Direct Cremation Service, The Limited Early Morning Service and The Complete Unattended Direct Cremation.

With the new and improved Diamond Partnership, bereaved families can enjoy greater choice and better value – not to mention the renowned professional caring service provided by their local independents.

Since its launch, the initiative has helped more than 11,000 families say goodbye.

That’s 11,000 families who have avoided having their loved one being transported in a van with multiple other deceased people halfway across the country for a conveyor-belt style cremation process.

Instead, these customers can take comfort in the knowledge that they were empowered to arrange a funeral on their terms, in their neighbourhood thanks to SAIF, Westerleigh and Distinct Cremations.

SAIF Chief Executive Terry Tennens said: “We are really pleased the Diamond Partnership provides families with the option of a local independent funeral director if they choose a direct cremation. Families will be reassured that their loved one is cared for and that they can benefit from a range of invaluable bereavement support services. These include visits to the chapel of rest in a very safe and secure local funeral home. This peace of mind is extremely comforting.”

Terry added: “Part of SAIF’s response to the rise of unattended funerals, the Diamond Partnership is crucial to ensuring families have local choice. It means that they can speak with their trusted SAIF funeral director to learn of their funeral options. It’s absolutely vital that families understand what direct entails before making their decision.

“People also need to be mindful that when choosing an unattended funeral, it’s very common for there to be disagreements among mourners, some of whom will almost certainly want to gather together and pay their respects in the time-honoured way.”

Independent funeral directors interested in participating in the Diamond Partnership are required to be SAIF members.

However, a business needn’t wait for a membership application to be approved to begin taking advantage of the scheme.

To find out more, email the SAIF Business Centre at info@saif.org.uk.