South Shields funeral director named one of country's best at national awards

Chris Sample. who owns Your Choice Funerals, which has a parlour at Frederick Street, received the accolade at a glitzy award ceremony hosted by funeral plan provider Golden Charter.

The award, for the best small/medium-sized funeral planners in the country, also means a number of trees, donated by the Woodland Trust, will be dedicated to the company and planted locally in recognition of the achievement.

Mr Sample, said: “This is massive achievement to win both the regional and national funeral planner of year, it shows how committed all of my family who work in the company are to giving the highest quality of service to our community and I am immensely proud of all them. The reason for setting up Your Choice Funerals was to make funerals more affordable and to make families feel more involved in the funeral process, and from our achievements so far this has been welcomed by the public of South and North Tyneside.

“We are a very proud member of Golden Charter and SAIF and are extremely overwhelmed to be recognised as one of their best-performing funeral directors nationwide. We will strive to continue offering funerals at the most affordable prices and with highest standards of care and professionalism, and we look forward to a bright and successful future in the industry.

The event was hosted by DJ Ken Bruce at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, and featured a performance by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

Golden Charter CEO Suzanne Grahame said: “The respected and caring work of independent funeral directors within their local communities often goes unrecognised and so it gives me great pleasure to congratulate the team at Your Choice Funerals for their truly outstanding achievement in winning this national award.

“The award recognises the excellent service the team from Your Choice Funerals has delivered to their local community, by helping individuals through the funeral plan process and supporting families when they need it the most.”

The Funeral Planner of the Year Awards celebrate independent funeral directors who are excelling in promoting pre-paid funeral plans, and by doing so providing peace of mind for families that everything is taken care of.