Our conference programme features an inspiring line-up of expert speakers from across the bereavement sector and beyond. Bringing together practical experience, fresh perspectives and the latest thinking, each session is designed to inform, inspire and support professional development. Explore the full speaker line-up below.
I’m Orla O’Carroll, a Cemetery and Crematorium Technician at Barnsley Crematorium. Although I am relatively new to the bereavement industry, having begun my career in 2018 and the age of 36, I truly believe I have found where I am meant to be. One of the aspects I value most about my role is its variety. I’m fortunate to be involved in a wide range of responsibilities, meaning no two weeks are ever the same. What’s that saying…“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life” . Whilst it may sound like a corny cliché, it is absolutely true. I find working within bereavement services incredibly rewarding. I am deeply passionate about what I do and take great pride in supporting families during some of life’s most difficult moments, always striving to provide dignity, care, and compassion.
They lived alone. They kept themselves to themselves. No next of kin. Each Public Health Funeral case that arrives is a mystery to be solved. Even family referrals, believe it or not. But how do cash and time strapped councils ensure that all avenues are properly investigated in this very sensitive task? That we don’t cause trauma by carrying out a funeral in absence of kin? That we are handing back an estate to the most entitled person? In a world where everything is hidden in pin locked phones, where 1 in 3 people have not done anything in preparation for their death and over half don’t have a will, admin wise, a house search can end up telling anywhere between half the story and nothing at all. We are dependent upon phone numbers on scraps of paper and a neighbour saying that they may have possibly had a son. Doing this job can feel like being in a dark room with a broken flashlight. So how do we turn the lights on? Christina Martin has been doing this job since 2017 and over time has learned through bitter experience that without the help of a professional tracing service, one can never be sure of anything. In this talk, she shares her steep learning curve along with other policy approaches that ensure the best possible all round job is being done for the deceased and the bereaved.
From September 2026, bereavement education will form part of the statutory curriculum in England, representing one of the most significant developments in public understanding of grief and loss in a generation. Following a four and a half-year national campaign, which culminated in a Parliamentary debate and the inclusion of bereavement education within the curriculum, this presentation explores what the change means for funeral professionals, bereavement organisations, schools, families and wider communities. Drawing upon personal experience as a Funeral Director, Past President of the National Association of Funeral Directors, Funeral Industry Advisor to Child Bereavement UK, and host of the internationally recognised Death: A Changing Industry podcast, John Adams will share the journey behind the campaign, lessons learned from work undertaken across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and practical steps organisations can take to support the next generation. Attendees will gain a greater understanding of the curriculum changes, the opportunities they create, and how funeral professionals can play a leading role in building a more compassionate society where grief is understood rather than avoided.
%20(1).jpg)
Pushing Up Daisies - Rewilding Resting Places delivered by Thomas Guilbert-Newell from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Councils Sustainable Environment Services will cover all aspects of the Council's successful delivery of their Grassland Management Strategy since 2024. The strategy has delivered 100s of hectares of long meadows, wildflowers and rewilding in green and open spaces, most importantly in places rest including owned cemeteries and crematoria and managed churchyards. Alongside key stakeholders like Keele University the Council have been able to deliver rewilding in this fashion to positively benefit local residents, local resources and the local natural environment. All these topics will be covered in this presentation with an additional detailed look into one of the Council's most biodiverse rich sites, Keele Cemetery.
At its heart, ‘Your Cremation, Your Wishes, Your Way’ is about giving families clarity, reassurance, and choice without unnecessary complexity. We could see that people were trying to balance cost, dignity and peace of mind and were often feeling they had to compromise on one to achieve another. As a local authority service, we felt we were in a unique position to respond. When we look back at how ‘Your Cremation’ came into being, it started quite simply, with people asking us a question: “Why don’t you offer a complete funeral service yourselves?”
Martyn’s Law focuses on the protection of the public within premises and affects a vast array of UK buildings, crematoria and cemeteries included. Gaining Royal Assent in April 2025, a period of 24 months was granted for compliance of public places with the requirements of the Act. This period expires in May 2027, where compliance with the law is expected. Following a successful ICCM webinar in May 2026, this session expands on this detail allowing attendees to find out what this means for your Crematorium and Cemetery spaces and what steps you need to take towards compliance.
