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Alan Beaton Funeral Services funeral director — The dedicated team at Alan Beaton Funeral Services say they feel privileged to to their job.

Alan Beaton Funeral Services has built an impressive reputation based on a personal touch from the small dedicated team of funeral directors.

Losing a loved one is not just one of the most emotionally fraught experiences you can go through; it can also be exceptionally stressful dealing with all the administration and decisions required in arranging the funeral.

That’s why it’s important to know you have access to professionals you can rely on to take care of all the details.

As independent funeral directors, Alan Beaton Funeral Services excels in the services it offers. Located in Bridge of Weir and covering the west of Scotland, the team of three funeral directors, which includes owner Alan alongside Suzi and David, are unwavering in their dedication to their job.

We spoke to Suzi to find out more about Alan Beaton Funeral Services, and to discover a little more about her job which she describes as one not everyone can do, but one which she feels privileged to have.

Suzi and David from Alan Beaton Funeral Services — Suzi and David are funeral directors at Alan Beaton Funeral Services.

Suzi told us: “Being such a small team, we’re not like bigger companies that perhaps don’t focus on the connection to the families. I think people feel comfortable coming to us as the service is very personal.

“When I arrange a funeral for a family, I conduct the funeral as well. I am with them right from the beginning through to the final stages, and sometimes even after that.

“The three of us – Alan, David and myself – treat this business as our own, and we will all go above and beyond when required. We each look after the individual families we work with. However, we are involved in each other’s work too, so we are aware of what is happening at any given time with all of our clients. That means we can step in and help if it is ever required.”

“We do sometimes get emotional”

Suzi continues: “It can be an intensive time arranging a funeral. But right from the moment you come in to see us, we want families to think ‘this is not as difficult as we thought as David, Alan or Suzi are taking care of everything for us.’

“You just need to tell us what you want, and then leave it to the professionals. That’s what we are and who we are proud to be.”

Working as a funeral director, Suzi says people skills are absolutely key to the role. She explains: “People skills are so important in what we do. It’s not a job everyone can do. In our personal lives we’ve been through bereavement, so we know how our clients feel.

“We do sometimes get emotional, especially in certain situations, but that is because we get close to our clients and we understand what they are going through.

“So many families we deal with are relieved that we are able to take over and guide them through such a difficult time. Of course, we involve the families in decisions. However, we have the experience to know how involved someone wants to be.

“Again, that’s where our people skills come onto play. We can judge how much involvement someone wants without bothering them with too many questions at such an emotional time.”

Alan Beaton Funeral directors — The team at Alan Beaton Funeral Directors, including Alan and David (above) will take care of everything.

Advice from a funeral director

What advice does Suzi have for families faced with arranging a funeral? She says: “Our advice try not to overthink the whole thing. Take time to focus on the person you are there for.

“We can provide everything if you want something different. For example, a horse and carriage, a motorbike funeral, or even a Land Rover Defender hearse like Prince Philip – we can provide all that and more.”

When it comes to pricing, Alan Beaton Funeral Services prides itself on an open and honest approach. Suzi told us more: “We are very upfront and transparent about our direct costs and our third-party costs too. We don’t add any commission to our third-party costs. So, when we organise the flowers, for example, you pay only what we pay the florists. We don’t add an additional cost on.

“Alan likes to say, ‘we are there to guide people, and we’re open, honest and transparent’. We want people to know what they can expect from us, and we also want them to know that it is done with love.”

Suzi finishes by saying: “We feel very privileged to do what we do. It’s not just a job, it’s much more to us.”

Find out more about the full range of services available at Alan Beaton Funeral Services, along with valuable advice and information at www.alanbeatonfuneralservices.co.uk.