It’s been yet another exciting awards season here at Welham Jones. We were thrilled to have won the prestigious Sevenoaks Business Awards for Best Independent Business 2024 in October and have been shortlisted for the Community Business of the Year and the Employer of the Year accolades at the upcoming Tunbridge Wells Business Awards.
The Sevenoaks Business Awards ceremony, a glamorous black-tie event at The Bat & Ball Centre, was hosted by the esteemed Mr Lennox Cato DL. Lennox is a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and an internationally recognised specialist in antique furniture and works of art, known for his work on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. After moving to Kent in 1997, he became heavily involved in the local community becoming a Town Councillor and Chairman of the local Sports Association. Set up Edenbridge Cares, a networking platform for local charities, churches, schools and Town Councillors.
It was an unforgettable evening, elevated by the unexpected moment we were announced as the winners of the Best Independent Business award. After 32 years of dedicated service to our community, caring for members during their most vulnerable moments, it was both a surprise and a honour to receive this recognition.
As a local, family business we are committed to supporting other local businesses, from florists to solicitors. We sponsor local sports clubs, offer free advice on the Sevenoaks Facebook forums to families who need it and collect for food banks in the area – and while we don’t do any of this for the recognition, it was wonderful to know that the community value our support and our contribution is making a difference where it really matters.
Still buzzing from our success at the Sevenoaks Business Awards, we were thrilled to also have been shortlisted in two categories for the Tunbridge Wells Business Awards 2024, which will be held on 26 November.
We entered the Community Business of the Year category because we believe that we are making a valuable contribution to the community. Through our highly personalised services, we place each family at the heart of what we do: supporting and guiding them through an immensely emotional time.
We also entered the Community Business category because we proactively support the community through sponsorships and charity work, as well as take great care to source sustainable products and support customers to reduce the environmental impact of funerals by offering a range of eco-friendly products.
We also put ourselves forward for the Employer of the Year category as we take great pride investing in our staff and making them feel part of the Welham Jones family. And this is reflected in the loyalty of our staff: Our 16 staff members have been with us for an average of six years: with 6 for 3-5 years, 4 for 5-10 years and 3 for over 10 years. We also provide employment opportunities for older people, many of whom are overlooked by other employers, with our staff ranging in age from mid 30s to late 60s.
As we work in a niche industry, we often recruit based on attitude and offer our staff various training and development opportunities, for example, we offer structured professional development and training through our membership of The National Association of Funeral Directors.
We’d like to thank our families and our community for all your support over the past 32 years and look forward to reporting back on the Tunbridge Wells Business Awards.
Please get in touch if you are looking for a funeral director who put community at the heart of what they do.
We’re delighted to announce that we are finalists in the Tunbridge Wells Business Awards 2025. We’ve made it to the shortlist of the Best Large Business Category – and we’ll find out if we’ve won at the black-tie event next month.
Over our 30 years supporting families throughout West Kent and Southeast London, we have seen more and more families wanting to personalise their send-off in ways that are as unique as their loved ones – and we have seen them getting more and more creative with it, too. But within that, one ancient form of customisation has been lost – the flowers. Here, we delve into the tradition of flowers at funerals, what each one symbolises, and how you can combine them to convey a quiet message to your loved one.
Losing a loved one is hard. But when a loved one loses a loved one, the hard part is knowing how to act. Do they want to talk? Or fondly reminisce in silence? Do you say, “I’m so sorry,” when you both know all the apologies in the world cannot bring them back? Should you bring them a casserole? And is it even possible to bake a heartful of love and support into a freezer meal?
Everyone grieves differently, but recent data from Theos Think Tank (2023) gives us helpful insights into the most common ways people seek support during bereavement. If you are supporting someone in West Kent or Southeast London, this research – and our guidance – may help you feel more confident in your compassion.
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