Annie Birch Independent Funeral Director

14/09/2026

This is on our back door step

27/08/2026

Did you know….

Most people don't know a name gets checked and re-checked before a funeral home does anything else with someone in their care.

For decades that meant a simple paper toe tag, tied on with string. Today most funeral homes and hospitals have moved to wrist and ankle bands instead, often carrying a name, birth date, and a third identifier, sometimes with a QR code or RFID chip linked to the case file. The switch happened partly for hygiene reasons, since staff no longer need to keep handling feet to confirm who someone is, and partly because two matching bands are simply harder to lose than one paper tag.

This identification step happens before embalming, before refrigeration, before a single family photo is used for restorative work. It is one of the quietest parts of the whole process, and also one of the most important, because everything that follows depends on getting it right the first time. 🪶

What would you want someone to double check before they ever touched you?

13/08/2026

Every person is has a unique story to tell

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

Living funerals are a way to celebrate your life before you pass.

12/08/2026

There's a part of funeral home work that almost no family ever sees, and it happens hours before anyone walks in for a viewing. 🧵

Before a body is placed in a casket, staff carefully dress it in the clothing the family selected, often a suit, dress, or an outfit that meant something to that person in life. It sounds simple, but dressing someone who can't help move their own limbs takes real technique. Funeral home staff are trained to work with the body gently and respectfully, and clothing sometimes has to be cut up the back or altered slightly so it can be put on without unnecessary strain or damage to delicate fabric.

Once dressed, the person is carefully positioned in the casket, with attention paid to the hands, the collar, the fall of the fabric, all the small details that make someone look like themselves resting peacefully rather than simply placed there. It's quiet, careful work, done without an audience, purely so a family's last visual memory can be a gentle one.

Had you ever thought about what actually goes into preparing someone's clothing and positioning before a viewing?

24/07/2026

For those of you who missed a spot at Cheltenham Memorial Park - a new area has been opened up - contact them direct

22/03/2026

Live life with no regrets!