A family funeral service has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity through donations made at its funerals.
East-Midlands based funeral directos A.W. Lymn have presented a cheque for £392,000 to Nottingham Hospitals Charity (NUH), which will be used to help improve patient care across the area.
The figure is the amount collected by mourners in memory of loved ones in lieu of traditional acts of remembrance such as flowers, which have then been processed by A.W. Lymn.
These are donations are facilitated by A.W. Lymn, which has helped to collect and process a total of £4.5 million between 2018 and 2023, for more than 1,800 local and national charities and causes.
The buiness offers those organising a service the option of asking attendees to make a donation to a charity of their choice, instead of buying flowers.
Around 80 percent of those who use A.W. Lymn now choose to do so, reflecting wider changes in the funeral industry, with over 92 percent of funeral directors in the UK noticing trends or changes in the funerals that they’re organising.
The donations made to NUH are given to a range of areas across Nottingham’s hospitals, in line with the wishes of family members — supporting everyone from babies in the Neonatal Unit and young children at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, to adult patients being treated for cancer, stroke and heart disease, right through to end of life care at Hayward House palliative care centre.
Across these areas donations have been used for projects such as enhancements to wards and other facilities, specialist medical equipment, and medical research taking place in Nottingham.
Nigel Lymn Rose, A.W. Lymn chairman, said: “Charity has been a key part of our service at A.W. Lymn for many years, so being able to facilitate hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations for a Nottingham charity is fantastic – and reflects the very ethos of why we do what we do.
“Offering those organising a funeral the choice of donations in lieu of flowers is not only a simple and convenient way for them to support a cause which is close to their hearts, but also pay tribute to the person who has passed away.
“We are continually overwhelmed by the generosity of those who donate, and we hope that we can continue to facilitate these contributions.”
Nigel Gregory, chief executive at Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We are extremely grateful to the whole team at A.W. Lymn for all of their ongoing support over the years.
“The team members across all of its branches are always eager to help.
“This is a truly incredible amount, which would not have been possible without the support that A.W. Lymn offers, both to the families it cares for through the funeral process, and to local charities like ours.
“We’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone at A.W. Lymn, and to all the families who have chosen to donate to Nottingham’s hospitals in lieu of flowers at their loved ones’ funerals.
“You have truly made a big difference to patient care in Nottingham.”
