The presentation looks at how Barnsley Council took the opportunity to expand the services currently offered at the Crematorium by introducing a pet crematorium and a stone masonry business. The aim being, to create new income streams whilst also responding to a growing need within the community for pet bereavement and memorial services. As a nation of pet lovers, the aim of the pet crematorium is to provide local pet owners with a respectful and compassionate service during the difficult time of losing a beloved companion. The facility offers individual cremations, a range of memorial products, and support to help owners cope with their loss. With pet ownership continuing to rise, the demand for dignified and professional pet aftercare services has increased significantly. The stone masonry business aim was to design, manufacture and maintain memorials, headstones, plaques and commemorative features for both human and pet memorialisation. Together the developments strengthen the crematorium’s role as a bereavement service provider, improve financial resilience and address clear public needs within the local community.

Christina began her journey into public health funerals at Rother and Wealden Council in 2017. What began as a job quickly became a mission. Christina developed her council’s internal processes, testing them in real world cases, soon becoming the lead officer in this emotionally and legally complex area. She soon became a media commentator on funeral poverty and council funeral policy, and author of the bestselling book Ashes to Admin under the pen name, Evie King. Followed by death planning guide Get Ahead of Being Dead in 2026. Christina now brings her lived experience and specialist knowledge into ICCM’s training sessions, helping others handle sensitive, often unseen cases with professionalism and care.

Erik van Zoest began his career in agriculture, following his upbringing as a farmer’s son, before entering the funeral profession in 2002 as a deceased caregiver. He subsequently worked alongside several funeral directors before establishing his own funeral home in 2006. In 2021, Erik purchased a Resomator, followed by a further funeral home acquisition in 2022. Following extensive renovation, t Vijfde Seizoen (The Fifth Season) Funeral Home and Resomatorium reopened in 2023. Today, Erik’s business conducts approximately 150–160 funerals each year and employs 11 part-time staff. Outside work, Erik is a devoted father of five and a lifelong Elvis Presley fan.

Kate White and Leighann Heron job-share the role of Project Director at the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, where they jointly lead Unlocking Highgate Cemetery, the Trust’s 25-year conservation masterplan. Kate joined the Trust in 2021 and Leighann in 2022, bringing architectural backgrounds and client-side project leadership to a complex heritage, landscape and public engagement programme. They have led the project through key stages of development, including concept design, consultant coordination, planning, stakeholder engagement, procurement and the National Lottery Heritage Fund application process. The first phase of Unlocking Highgate Cemetery is a £19.5m programme, supported by a £6.7m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, focused on landscape recovery, conservation of nationally significant structures, improved access and public engagement.

The journey began in 2019 with the publication of a conservation plan. From this, the Trust developed Unlocking Highgate Cemetery, a 25-year conservation masterplan bringing together heritage conservation, landscape recovery, climate resilience, improved access and public engagement. Its first phase is a £19.5m programme supported by a £6.7m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Kate White and Leighann Heron will share the Trust’s journey from an ambitious long-term vision to a clearly defined and fundable first phase. They will explore how the project case was developed through research, consultation, design, planning and partnership working, and how the capital works, activity programme and organisational plans were brought together into one application. The presentation will provide a brief overview of the Trust’s funding journey, including some of the main decisions and challenges along the way, which may be useful to other cemetery organisations considering a Heritage Fund application.

During COVID Authorities were challenged to create additional storage facilities to care for the anticipated deceased. This is how the three sister Authorities of North , East and South Ayrshire created a professional bespoke facility in 12 weeks. A facility that has been recognised by our Regional Resilience Team as having the potential to act as Scotland’s national facility in the event of a Mass Fatality

Fiona has worked in Local Authority for 30 years. She initially started in Business & Administration including Cemeteries and was given the opportunity to gain her ICCM Diploma which stood her in good stead when the post of Bereavement & Burials Officer came up. Fiona has been in this post for the past 15 years, managing both strategy and operations for 45 cemeteries and churchyards with a team of 20 staff. During this time she has built up a wealth of experience and is passionate in providing a caring and sensitive bereavement service for the residents of North Ayrshire. Fiona has been an ICCM member for 20 years, sat on the Scottish Government burial regulations working group to assist reform in Scottish burial legislation, and is also a member of the Scottish Bereavement Benchmarking Group.

Justin Smith is an agronomist and environmental consultant with nearly 40 years of experience in soil, water and land management. As founder of Green Pigeon Consulting, he helps the public sector deliver sustainable open space solutions and support carbon neutrality goals. Justin has founded and grown several innovative businesses, including the UK's leading cemetery and crematorium consultancy, which he sold in a multimillion-pound deal. He is recognised for pioneering work in precision farming, environmental planning and sustainable infrastructure, and is a regular speaker on sustainability, innovation and land management.

After graduating from Durham University with a degree in Chemistry, I began my career in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing primarily on diabetes. Eight years later, I felt the pull of the family business and joined two of our companies specialising in the chemical treatment of fabrics to meet British Flame retardancy standards. In 2008, I relocated from Kent to East Yorkshire to join Odlings, following the retirement of Gerald Priestman, who had served as Managing Director for 50 years. Yorkshire is now firmly home for my wife, our two children, and me. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection to the masonry business and feel fully settled in both the role and the industry. I consider myself extremely fortunate to work alongside an excellent team, and I value the welcoming and supportive nature of the industry as a whole. Outside of work, much of my time is spent ferrying my children to various clubs and sporting activities. When I do find a moment to myself, I enjoy cycling, running, and singing in our local church choir.

Jennifer’s background is in crematorium management, managing a site in Ayrshire where she was involved in the crematorium from its earliest days. She then saw it through its evolution to an award-winning facility, so she understands the practicalities of developing and growing a trusted and respected community asset. Her role in the ICCM is to assist members with any queries, particularly regarding Scottish law and to keep members up to date by sharing good news stories and best practice through The Journal as Editor.

Oliver's career in bereavement services started in 2013 where he carried out numerous roles in a private sector site in Lincolnshire, before progressing to managing it. He's built up his knowledge through hands-on experience and understands how processes and operations function in real situations. His role in the ICCM is to work closely with the other Technical Services Officers, assist members with legislative and operational queries, help deliver training and work on projects including the Charter for the Bereaved.

John Adams is a fourth-generation Funeral Director with Perry & Phillips Funeral Directors in Shropshire and a Past National President of the National Association of Funeral Directors. He is the Funeral Industry Advisor to Child Bereavement UK, Ambassador for The Good Grief Trust, co-author of the internationally sold book Don't Tell the Children, and host of the podcast Death: A Changing Industry. Following the death of his mother when he was 12 years old, John became passionate about improving society's understanding of grief and bereavement. In 2022, he launched a national campaign calling for bereavement awareness to be incorporated into the school curriculum. The campaign secured more than 11,000 signatures, was debated in Parliament, and contributed to bereavement education becoming part of the statutory curriculum from September 2026.

Tom Guilbert-Newell is a keen young adult who has always had a passion for a better and healthier future, ensuring that his passion for sustainability is embedded throughout the action he takes. Tom is an Environment and Sustainability Keele Graduate, and after 2 years working in sustainability and the community at Keele Students' Union, Tom joined Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council where he currently works at all levels within the organisation to develop social, economic and environmental solutions to combat climate change for a more sustainable Council and borough. In particular for this presentation, Tom and the Council have focused on using spaces of bereavement like cemeteries to recover the local natural environment through sustainable grassland management, wildflower introduction, perennial planting and much more!

My funeral industry career began at Memoria as Bereavement Services Manager. A challenging position in a busy crematorium. It didn’t take long for me to realise helping bereaved families was my calling. When the opportunity came to move to Bramcote Crematorium I jumped at the chance, more funerals meant more families to help at the most difficult of times. In my current position as Strategic and Business Development Manager I look forward to developing the service to its full potential in challenging times.

Chris Reeves is an experienced Health & Safety professional with over 28 years of leadership experience across local government, consultancy, leisure, charity, and commercial sectors. Currently serving as Corporate Health & Safety Manager at Herefordshire Council, Chris leads the development and delivery of strategic health and safety programmes that support organisational compliance, risk management, and continuous improvement. He is currently Vice Chair of the West Midlands Local Authority Health & Safety Group, supporting cross-authority benchmarking, knowledge sharing, and best practice development across the region.

Dr Huw Twamley is the interim National Medical Examiner for England and Wales. He is responsible for the standards and performance of the 125 medical examiner offices in England and for the ME service in Wales. Medical Examiners are senior doctors trained in the independent scrutiny of non-coronial deaths. This legal function became statutory in September 2024, requiring every death in England and Wales to be reviewed by the ME service or the coroner prior to registration. Dr Twamley is a dual trained Critical Care and Anaesthesia Consultant in Lancashire Teaching hospitals in Preston and Chorley. He was the Northwest Regional Medical Examiner for six years. He is also a doctoral student with the Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law in the University of Greater Manchester, looking at the impact of the ME system on the coronial jurisdiction

Professor Lisa Webley is the Law Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law at the Law Commission of England and Wales. Prior to joining the Law Commission, she was the Chair in Legal Education and Research at the University of Birmingham, and a former Dean and Head of Birmingham Law School. She holds a Senior Associate Research Fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London and visiting professorships at Leeds Beckett University and the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre Victoria University, Australia.

Senior Project Manager at Thomson Gray Construction Consultants with over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry, with specialist expertise across a diverse range of sectors including crematoria, heritage, high secure facilities, and listed buildings. Experienced in risk management and delivering projects within sensitive, live environments. A member of the Association for Project Management, bringing extensive leadership experience and a strong track record in delivering complex projects.

Madelon Klaus is an Account Manager at Orthometals, supporting crematoria throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. As part of a company working with more than 1,900 crematoria in over 30 countries across five continents, she works closely with cremation professionals to improve transparency, maximize value recovery and promote sustainable recycling practices. Madelon enjoys sharing practical knowledge and encouraging discussion to help crematoria make informed, evidence-based decisions.

Julie Dunk is the former Chief Executive of the ICCM; having spent over 30 years working in the bereavement sector. Julie was on the Board of Directors when the ICCM started their recycling of metals scheme in association with Orthometals, and was an early adopter of the scheme at Bournemouth Crematorium. Julie is delighted to now be working for Orthometals to help ensure this groundbreaking scheme develops and adapts as needed whilst remaining the safe, transparent and fully accountable choice for crematoria in the UK wishing to maximise their metals recovery.