Funerals in the bleak midwinter

Funerals in the bleak midwinter

As one of the UK’s most popular Christmas carols, various versions of In the Bleak Midwinter are cheerfully sung in churches, village halls and high streets throughout December. Roll on a few weeks and I can assure you, there are fewer places bleaker in...
Defending Funeral Directors – Scotland on Sunday/Evening News

Defending Funeral Directors – Scotland on Sunday/Evening News

Tim Purves vigorously defends the role of funeral directors following a high profile fine imposed on an English firm for not policing unexpected crowds in The Scotland on Sunday newspaper. Funeral directors ‘should not be responsible’ for policing mourner...
Memorials Replace Big Funerals – The Times

Memorials Replace Big Funerals – The Times

Today’s Times features our second generation memorials team at work, providing lasting legacies for loved ones at a time when funeral attendance is so restricted....

Tim Purves reflects on the effects of Covid-19 – WCC Podcast

In a podcast for the World Council of Churches, Tim Purves comments on the profound affect Covid-19 has had on funerals. He outlines his concern for the bereaved in months to come and you can hear an excerpt of the interview below. However, if you would like to listen...
To View or Not to View – Answers to Your Questions

To View or Not to View – Answers to Your Questions

Managing Director James Morris explains why saying goodbye is healthy and quite normal.I really wish we had a better word for it. When someone has died, ‘viewing’ is the term we use when families come in to our funeral homes to say goodbye to their loved one. In our...
The Hierarchy of Grief

The Hierarchy of Grief

When we meet someone recently bereaved, we subconsciously apply an invisible, unspoken hierarchy to the deceased. We actually place different values or priorities to people when they die. In this blog, managing director James Morris, shares his experiences. The...
Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes

Cremation is increasingly favoured over burial in the UK. And in a post Covid world, the significance of what to do with the ashes of a loved one becomes increasingly important. MD James Morris explains why. Our memory is just one of the things that makes us uniquely...
New 2020 look for W. G. Catto, same 101-year-old high standards

New 2020 look for W. G. Catto, same 101-year-old high standards

Following a £500,000 refit, we’re delighted to reopen our Elgin branch with it’s updated name: W. G. Catto Funeral Directors, Part of the William Purves Family. From today, Moray families can enjoy new, first class surroundings from the £500,000...