There is much going on within the company at the present time as the list of improvements, refurbishments, Dedications and Qualifications shows, all of which are designed to improve the quality of service and facilities we provide to families who turn to us for support in their bereavement.

Congratulations to Jeremy and Victoria Field on the arrival of Georgina Daisy - the 8th Generation - born on the 3rd April.

Cooper & Son Funeral Service of East Sussex can trace their heritage back to 1865 and are the oldest family owned firm of funeral directors in Seaford. After a long search for the right signing they have got the perfect team player, former Crystal Palace footballer Graham Thomas.

Having retired from professional sport Graham became a Funeral Director caring for the bereaved of Eastbourne and Cooper & Son believe they have sealed the transfer of the year in landing Graham as their new Funeral Director. Becoming a Funeral Director still allows him the odd occasion to lace up his boots for a worthy cause such as a recent match raising money for Eastbourne’s St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

Principal Funeral Director Howard Coote commented “Graham is just the sort of person that Cooper & Son have been looking for to fill the roll of Funeral Director. I am delighted that he has agreed to take on this important role for us. Cooper & Son has always had a reputation as a locally run family company that provides excellent service and care and this is especially so in Seaford. With his desire to really get involved in the community and his professional attitude there could be no better person to take responsibility for the next chapter of Cooper & Son Funeral Service’s history in Seaford and we all wish him luck.”

Graham Thomas Funeral Director Cooper & Son Seaford

Graham Thomas, new Funeral Director for Cooper & Son Funeral Service Seaford

All ways looking for ways in which they can improve the service that they offer to their clients, The Traditional Family Funeral Company have decided that the time is right to move away from the more conventional decked van style of removal ambulance that they have used in the past and to use the more sophisticated and ergonomically designed removal ambulances available today.

The company have purchase three new removal ambulances for use by Edmund & Sons and Constable & Toop of London, Haine & Son of Eastbourne & Heritage & Sons of Buckinghamshire. The ambulances chosen resemble those used by the emergency services and it is hoped that their appearance at a private address to affect a removal will not arouse unwanted attention for a bereaved family and will thereby reduce the stress to which the recently bereaved are exposed. The benefit for colleagues is that they get more respect on the roads, are more visible when parked at the side of the road whilst the rise and fall decks reduce the concern of back injuries and other Health & Safety risks.

On receiving the vehicles from Gerry McAlister; Colin Field, Managing Director, commented “We pride ourselves on continually setting the very highest standards, and this applies to every vehicle that we use in the course of providing Funeral Services for the families of our communities.” He continued “It is not enough to ensure that every Hearse and Limousine is perfect. For many families the first face-to-face contact they have with their Funeral Director is when the Funeral Director attends the family’s home to remove their loved one to their care. These new McAllister’s removal ambulances are undoubtedly a better reflection of the standard of service we provide.”

New ambulances for Heritage & Sons, Edmund & Sons / Constable & Toop & Haine & Son

Haine & Son have been Funeral Directors since 1838 operating in East Sussex from their Eastbourne premises. June of this year marked their return to the town of Polegate, where 50 years ago they had nothing more than a lock up shop containing a telephone with a direct line to their Eastbourne offices. To mark their return to local business, on Friday 31^st August, the Bishop of Eastbourne, the Right Reverend Wallace Benn, held a service of dedication for the chapels of rest in the Polegate funeral home of Haine & Son.

The guests attending the service included Mrs Lyndsay Benn wife of the Bishop, Mayor of Polegate, Mr J Rogers, a number of local councillors together with Clergymen from various denominations and parishes in the Polegate area, local Doctors and the High Sheriff of West Sussex, Mr Colin Field, who is Managing Director of the company. The service was hosted by colleagues Debbie Everingham and Gary Privett who have worked with Haine & Son at both their Eastbourne and Polegate offices.

Principal Funeral Director, Howard Coote commented of the service; “I am so pleased that Bishop Benn was able to preside over this service of dedication. He made the service so personal to, not only Haine & Son and my colleagues in Polegate, but also to the community.”

He went on; “It has been a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the investment that Haine & Son has made in this funeral home to ensure that Debbie and Gary can provide the highest levels of care to the families of Polegate.”

Bishop Benn, Debbie Everingham, Howard Coote,

Gary Privett and Colin Field

Mayor of Polegate with Debbie, Howard & Gary

A working career will last for forty years working for a number of companies but in these days of the flexible workforce not many careers consist of working forty years for the same company. However on Thursday 12^th July Derek Brazier was celebrating just that, forty years with Haine & Son Funeral Directors.

Derek joined the company in 1967 as a Chauffeur in the company’s garage he remembers that his first couple of weeks was spent on Chauffeur training and that over the following six months he was gradually introduced into working on Funerals. In after 18 years as a Chauffeur / Bearer he was promoted to the position of assistant foreman in the garage. From there his career leapt forward and it was six short years before he was offered the chance to join the office as a Funeral Director, that was in 1991 and he has been caring for the bereaved of Eastbourne in that role ever since.

Howard Coote, Principal Funeral Director, commented “After forty years with the same company you would think that someone would lose their enthusiasm for the job. Not Derek, his colleagues say that he is as enthusiastic now as he was forty years ago.” Howard went on to say “Derek’s knowledge of Haine & Son is encyclopaedic and there is rarely anything that he has not experienced before. When we opened our new facilities in Polegate recently Derek recalled the first time that Haine & Son had opened premises in Polegate. Haine & Son had a lock-up shop there thirty years ago.”


Colin Field presents Derek Brazier with a Gold Watch	Celebratory Cake from Colleagues past & present

On Sunday 17th June following the publication of the names of those to be presented with an honour to mark the Queen’s Birthday MD Mr Colin Field sent the following message to the company - “I am sure you will all have seen that Her Majesty The Queen has seen fit to bestow upon our colleague Mr Noel Spreadbury A.C.I.C, Funeral Director of Deric Scott, an M.B.E for his services to education as Chairman of Bournemouth School for Girls. I am sure you will all join with me in congratulating Noel on his very special honour.”

It is a measure of the pride that the MD takes in seeing colleagues rewarded for the service that they provide for their community that this email was sent on Sunday morning, that is how anxious he was for all colleagues to share in Noel’s success.

Since being honoured Noel says that he has received congratulations from many quarters both inside and outside of the company.

He wrote to Mr Jeremy Field saying “I am humbled by this honour - I have been Chairman (of Governors, Bournemouth School for Girls) since 1988 and, if re-elected this September, it will be my 20th year. I have served to try to repay a little of what I feel I owe for my girls’ education - one a GP and the other a Chartered Accountant.”

He went on to say “I appreciate very much the flexibility I am afforded by TTFFC to attend meetings and other functions sometimes during the working day. I look forward, with some excitement but trepidation, to being summoned to the Palace.”

Whilst Mr Colin Field has expressed congratulations of behalf of the company and the family to Noel The Traditional Family Funeral Company would like to add theirs and those of our colleagues while hoping that Noel will share some photos of the big day with us!

Monday 4th June saw the first new branch of Haine & Son for 40 years open in Polegate, East Sussex.

With opening of Haine & Son's new facilities in Polegate the families of East Sussex have a new Funeral Director they can trust to provide them with the same high standard of service has always stood for in Eastbourne but based on Polegate High Street.

The bright and fresh facilities provide a tranquil environment for the bereaved to come and make their arrangements for the Funeral of a loved one lost. Debbie and Gary are can provide information and advice about what to do in the event of a death of someone close and how to go about making Funeral Arrangements.

Many of the Polegate community will have met the team led by Principal Funeral Director Howard Coote already during the course of the recent Open Days that have been held there. However, despite the fact that the formal Open Days have now passed they are happy to talk to anyone who wishes to drop in and see them whether they need their services or not.

All Funerals conducted by Haine & Son will soon be provided using the distinctive grey Rolls Royce's that are their trademark.

The Managing Director of The Traditional Family Funeral Company and a former Managing Director of Deric Scott are Sheriffs of their counties.

MD Mr Colin Field and former MD of Deric Scott Mr Adrian Scott are both currently serving as the High Sheriff's of West Sussex and Dorset respectively. The office of High Sheriff is the oldest secular appointment in England and Wales. Sheriffs are appointed in a ceremony during which the Queen pricks the names of each person nominated for the office with a bodkin formalising their appointment.

Mr Colin Field was sworn in to office by a High Court Judge in Lewes County Court and then went on the following day to attend the swearing in of Mr Adrian Scott who was sworn in during a Church service. Their appointments are for a year and their activities will be detailed in the Company Newsletter found above and Mr Field is frequently updating a blog which can be found by clicking here.


High Sheriff of West Sussex Colin Field	High Sheriff of Dorset Adrian Scott




We take one of these:	and then:	with a bit of	and a touch of

	and it emerges like this - Amazing isn't it!

Wherever possible we seek to help charities or those raising funds within the community and whilst we may not always be able to help with a financial donation we can, subject to availability and the willingness of colleagues assist with some musical entertainment.

We have a hand turned street organ which works on punched paper music and provides a happy and jolly background to any outdoor event. There is no volume control, so indoor use can be quite wearing.

We do not hire nor lend the machines out, preferring to operate them ourselves so we can be sure being both technical and valuable that they are well looked after (they are never allowed to get wet nor over heat in the sunlight) and properly played - the music is very expensive to purchase.

If you feel you would like to have the support of colleagues and some musical background please call any one of our branches we are happy, subject to availability to travel within ten miles of any our offices.