Last week, we were told that we are the winners of the Community and Sustainability Award in the Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine Awards. Not only this, but we were also shortlisted for the Employer of the Year award. We are absolutely over the moon with the news and couldn’t wait to share it with you, alongside a bit of background as to how we got to this point.
Celebrating the organisations that add heart, imagination and tireless effort to the local area, the Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine Awards recognise businesses who go beyond the everyday. Run by Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine, the awards highlight excellence across sustainability, community work, leadership, team culture and business achievement.
For a family-run funeral director such as Welham Jones, with branches in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Chislehurst and Bromley, Orpington and Chelsfield, Borough Green and Swanley, being acknowledged in this way is especially meaningful. Much of our work happens quietly, behind the scenes, at the most delicate moments in a family’s life. These awards shine a light on the values that guide us: compassion, integrity and service to the communities of West Kent and Southeast London.
This particular accolade honours businesses who actively strengthen their local community while working with genuine commitment to environmental responsibility. For us, it feels like a gentle yet powerful affirmation: that the things we have been steadily doing for years — supporting local suppliers, reducing our footprint, and offering greener funeral options — truly matter.
Our funeral directors in Tunbridge Wells, Borough Green, Orpington and Chelsfield, Chislehurst and Bromley, Sevenoaks, Swanley and Tonbridge have long believed that sustainability isn’t a slogan. It’s the accumulation of thoughtful decisions: choosing eco-friendly coffins and caskets, minimising waste, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring families have access to environmentally conscious funeral planning options.
This award recognises not just what we do, but why we do it: to protect the future for the families we serve today.
Across all our branches, we continue to refine, rethink and renew our approach to sustainability — much of which formed our formal award submission.
Environmentally responsible choices
Supporting the community around us
Being shortlisted for Employer of the Year was a moment of deep pride for us. Funeral work is emotionally demanding, and our team carry people’s stories during some of their hardest days. Supporting our teams, therefore, is not optional; it is essential.
Our submission highlighted:
The testimonials from our team spoke of belonging, purpose and care. One colleague described Welham Jones as “a place that feels like home,” while another said they wake each morning looking forward to the work they do for families. These messages were included within our award documents and meant as much to us as any trophy.
Winning this award reminds us that community, care and responsibility will always guide the work we do for the families who place their trust in us.
Calm leadership and deep industry knowledge – the skills and expertise that make our Operations Manager a key part of the experience we offer to families across West Kent and Southeast London who need to arrange a funeral to remember their loved one.
One of the options you will be asked to consider when planning a funeral is whether you would like your loved one to be embalmed. If you’re planning your own funeral, you will be asked to consider whether you would like your body to be embalmed when the time comes. But what exactly is embalming? What does it involve? And is it always necessary?
When a loved one dies, there are many decisions to make in a short space of time. Registering the death is one of the first legal steps required, yet it can feel daunting if you’re coping with grief. However, it is a crucial step in the funeral proceedings, one which you have not only an administrative, but also a legal duty to fulfil.
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