00:00Hello Sir, Love's Funeral Directors and it is love by name isn't it, Stuart Love?
00:06Yeah absolutely is, so I'm Stuart Love and welcome to Primrose Cottage and Love's
00:09independent funeral directors. Now I know this building, this is an iconic
00:13building here in Stafford as the old fruit and veg shop but Primrose Cottage
00:17that's its proper name isn't it? So it is, yeah Primrose Cottage has been well
00:20known being the county fruit stores and Jackson's fruit and veg stores and we
00:25took this building on just over coming into its fourth year now after
00:29extensive renovation, a four-month renovation of the building to make it
00:33into a beautiful funeral home that it is today. And you've kind of, you've kept
00:37this tradition haven't you, that when they passed it down from the fruit shop she
00:40said our people know us for our hanging baskets so she wanted that legacy
00:44continued and you've obliged. That's correct as you can see we've got the
00:47beautiful hanging baskets here today and every year we do this you know to keep
00:51that tradition going and for everything that we do and to keep the beauty within
00:55Stafford and its surrounding areas. So you've been here a few years now but
00:59you're really making a mark in the town aren't you? You kind of, you want to be more
01:03than just a base on the street here, you kind of reach out into the community with
01:07your various presentations and inviting people in and so on? That's correct. We want to welcome the people of Stafford. We're more of a community book that people can come in and their welcomes, whether it's a tea or a coffee that people want.
01:19And just a friendly chat, we're a family ourselves so we want to look after the families of Stafford and give them the absolute best that the people deserve.
01:26So you've got your mum Susan working with you, your dad Terry. That's correct. And Neo the dog's always welcoming her. Absolutely. After her fuss.
01:34He's got his own little fan club as well. He has, hasn't he? Your mum's kind of a dementia specialist in terms of her previous nursing career, isn't she? So that's quite useful.
01:41Yeah, so Susan Dementia, an ambassador and a retired nurse and Terry, my father, is a retired police officer after 30 years and my obviously previous background in the police as well. So bringing all of those skills that we've obtained throughout the years is amazing to bring it to the local to Stafford and doing what we do today here at the funeral directors.
01:52Yeah. And you literally can cater for anything, can't you? You've had a bus driver, you've sourced a vintage Midland Red bus for him and the family. Push bikes, hearse?
02:13That's correct. So anything is available, you know, nowadays. So whether it's a Land Rover Defender hearse, whether it's a push bike tandem hearse, you know, or like you mentioned, the bus for families to follow on. Anything's, you know, anything's available. So if we can, we absolutely will always make it happen.
02:31Yeah. And you've kind of a very open door if people want to come and look around. You've got a chapel here.
02:39That's correct. So we've got Woodlands Rest where obviously people can come and view their loved ones, but also we can convert that into our Woodlands Rest Chapel for an intimate service of 15 people.
02:48And it works for just a really quiet, intimate, respectful service. And that's all done on site here at Love's Independent Funeral Directors. And it works so lovely because it's so dignified and respectful.
02:58We were having a little chat off Cameron, you were saying that people don't realise that it doesn't have to be a church service if that's what they want. You know, it might just be a few people, they might not be particularly churchy.
03:08So you work with a number of kind of lovely setting venues, don't you?
03:12Absolutely. So within Stafford, we've worked with the Orangery at Ingers Street and also the Post House just off Mill Street.
03:17And these are beautiful venues that we can actually conduct the funerals at. And it's lovely to do something somewhere, somewhere different, but still somewhere very dignified, very respectful in a lovely surroundings and a lovely environment.
03:29And you've put a little video together just explaining what a direct funeral is, which has kind of gone a bit crazy, isn't it, on YouTube?
03:38And if people want to know what kind of service that is, that's the way to play it. I guess Google loves...
03:43So yeah, go onto YouTube, look at Loves Independent Funeral Directors or go onto our website lovesfunerals.co.uk and all the information's on there and you can actually even watch your direct cremation service take place so you can see exactly how we do it here as an independent funeral director here within the realms of Stafford.
04:00And that's a service that kind of sprung up really with Covid, wasn't it, where we weren't allowed to attend, but it's kind of carried on and become quite popular actually for a lot of people, that ticks their box, yeah?
04:13Yeah, so for more and more people direct cremation services are becoming the norm for people and that's absolutely fine, whether it's a full traditional funeral, whether it's a more modern day funeral or a direct, we can cater for all the needs, absolutely.
04:26And you've, even just a few years you've been going, you've been nominated for awards, haven't you, so getting that recognition?
04:31Absolutely, so we've been awarded multiple times over the years that we've been here, we've got an amazing five-star reviews on Google and just, yeah, amazing feedback from families as well and thank you, so yeah, it means the world to us to give people the absolute best.
04:45And I guess a mark of it is, you know, people that you've employed your services, they still call in some of them, don't they, for a cup of tea, some of them like weekly, regularly for a cup of tea and a chat with you and your mum and your dad.
04:57They absolutely do and it's that connection that we've made and that connection will be forever and that's what we give back to the families and the community of Stafford, that we're here for them, whatever time of the day or night it is, whatever they need, we're always here for them.
05:07And funeral director services are regulated but you were saying that the kind of the mortuary side of things aren't necessarily but you've kind of gone above and beyond even down to that degree of attention to detail and again welcome people in to see what you do there.
05:26Absolutely, people can come and see what we do and how we do it and where we do it. So the funeral planning side of things has been regulated but the funeral director services and the funeral directors that, you know, what we do day to day isn't regulated but we wanted to be able to, you know, do what we've done here to make sure if regulation does come in that we, you know, we've gone above and beyond like you say.
05:45Well, thank you for inviting us into your world and long may your good service continue with the community, sir. Thank you.
