One Last Goodbye
With changing times and ever-rising costs, direct cremation is becoming the norm for many families. Often, at a time of loss, family members and long-lost friends may have drifted apart, making traditional funerals less practical. However, for me, this conflicted with our wish to have the opportunity for one last goodbye.
Helen at W. Thorp suggested a lovely alternative: a service for just the six of us in their tiny chapel room. With our wonderful celebrant, Donna, and everything thoughtfully arranged by Julie, our wishes and prayers were fulfilled in the most beautiful way. A heartfelt eulogy and poem gave us the chance to say our final goodbyes, with Mum there in the chapel with us, before sending her peacefully on her way.
Everything was arranged through the Leigh-on-Sea Broadway branch, where we were treated with such privacy, kindness and care. We were reassured that the cremation would take place in Brentwood within the week and that Mum’s ashes would be returned to us.
I cannot thank Helen, Julie, Donna and everyone at W. Thorp enough for offering us this wonderful option at such a difficult time in our lives. It gave us the personal and meaningful farewell we wanted, without the pressures and expense of a traditional funeral.
I hope this review will be helpful to other families who are facing the difficult task of saying goodbye to a loved one after a long and fulfilling life — in Mum’s case, 92 wonderful years.
And, of course, we then followed it with a good old-fashioned wake in the Old Town of Leigh-on-Sea! ❤️
Thank you all for helping us give Mum the loving and dignified final goodbye she deserved.
gill hey, 14 October 2026
