A Monumental Muse - Page 2 of 4 - Find yourself in an oasis of peace, tranquillity and serenity. There is no sadness here only beauty and nature.

Feature Article “Let Me Take Your Hand…” We Present To You Kerry Aldridge

April 30, 2020 Monumental Muse 2Comment

There’s a “new kid on the block” on the funeral scene around York and she brings with her a slightly different approach. I had heard about her from another funeral director when I was looking for an end of life Doula to interview for the blog. Her name is Kerry Aldridge and she offers what is possibly the most comprehensive funeral service I’ve come across. Appropriately named “Hand in Hand Funerals”, what Kerry has created is in effect a hand holding service right through from end of life care to, if needed, bereavement support for those left behind. I was…

Feature Article “From Schoolgirl to Top Hat and Cane” – Introducing Hayley Spencer

April 25, 2020 Monumental Muse

Who would have thought that a simple two-week work placement with a local funeral director would have such a far-reaching effect for a young Hayley Richmond, from Huntington School? It left Hayley knowing exactly what she wanted to do. True to her ambition, at only 17 she secured her first admin role with Co-op Funeral Services. Within 6 months Hayley was asked if she would like to become a trainee funeral director and mortuary assistant. She has never looked back since. Darley Funerals – A Family Affair Having successfully built her career and getting’ married along the way Hayley -…

Guest Writer Bereavement During Coronavirus

April 23, 2020 Monumental Muse

Today we have a post kindly written for us by guest writer Geraldine Mace. You can learn more about the services offered by Geraldine here. When someone dies it is devastating, sometimes it has been expected, sometimes it is sudden and shocking, and it hurts. Everyone feels their grief at one hundred per cent so this blog is not about comparing whether losses experienced during the Coronavirus lockdown are worse than before, rather it is about the way Coronavirus can complicate the grieving process. Not long after lockdown started, someone I know called me worried that their relation wasn’t doing too…

Feature Article The Secret Hidden Behind The Big, Black, Wrought Iron Gates

April 20, 2020 Monumental Muse 2Comment

Venture through the, rather austere looking, huge black Victorian wrought iron gates on Cemetery Road in York, and you may be in for a surprise. You could be forgiven for thinking you had walked straight into the pages of “The Secret Garden” by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett. Such is the hidden beauty that lies within, as the road name gives its secret away, York Cemetery. Whilst the Cemetery is administered by York Cemetery Trust with the support of the Friends of York Cemetery when it comes to Cemetery business there is one name that crops up time and again. That…

Feature Article Funeral Services – Who Cares for Those Who Care for The Dead?

April 19, 2020 Monumental Muse 24Comment

When we hear the term “key workers” most of us automatically think of those workers from the NHS, Emergency Services, Carers, Shop Keepers, Refuse Collectors, Farmers and Supermarket workers. Seldom do we hear any talk of those involved in funeral services – the people who care for the dead – given a mention. To the contrary, we hear phrases like “The Funeral Directors must be wringing their hands with glee.” Or “At least it must be good business for the Church/Cemetery – they’re never going to be out of work, are they?” Maybe it is because we as a nation…

Guest Writer A Quick Tour Around York Tutors with Judith Morris

April 18, 2020 Monumental Muse

This is the second post from guest writer Judith Morris, Proprietor of York Tutors. York Tutors provide top quality language courses to students for whom English is a second language. Their groups range in size from 10 to 110 and stay in homes in and around York. From The Pen of Judith: Despite having travelled extensively, York, at least to me, is still one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have everything here – a long, deep history which explains our plethora of amazing museums, fabulous and quirky shops, gorgeous walks and green areas plus some of…

Feature Article Are You Overwhelmed With A Sense Of Loss?

April 14, 2020 Monumental Muse 2Comment

Are you overwhelmed with a sense of loss? We can help! We are delighted that Geraldine Mace – a leading Grief and Relationship Coach based in York – has kindly agreed to guest write for us. Here is a little introduction to Geraldine and what she does. Please share with our readers a little about yourself and your business. When I left school at 18, my first job was working at a GP surgery where I regularly encountered grieving people. Those who had lost a loved one and were trying to make sense out of life and those who had…

Feature Article The Door No One Wants To Open

April 9, 2020 Monumental Muse

“The hardest thing for anyone to do is open that door and walk through it. I see people walk past the window time and time again, but they don’t want to come through the door. Sometimes they walk past 4 or 5 times before they enter.” It’s an incredibly perceptive observation and unsurprisingly it comes from Paul Kelwick. Paul is the Manager of G R Pinder Memorials in Scarborough. It’s more than a job to Paul – it’s a way of life and he uses his knowledge and years of experience to bring an especially personal touch to his clientele….

Feature Article A Chisel, A Hammer And A Robin

April 8, 2020 Monumental Muse 3Comment

A Tip-tapping Heard in the Cemetery! On a bright and sunny Spring morning amidst the daffodils, sweet-scented hyacinths and ancient gravestones in York Cemetery there sits a solitary figure, patiently tip-tapping at the delicate stone in front of him. We hear him before we see him, his hammer and chisel strangely in tune with the birds singing all around him. He blends in beautifully to his surroundings, as if he belongs in the wooded glade which is his workplace today. He appears to be oblivious to the little Robin who carefully supervises his every move. It turns out later the…

Feature Article A Muse of a Childhood Spent in a Yorkshire Village. Part 1 – Winter & Summer.

April 7, 2020 Monumental Muse

Growing Up “On The Farm” If, with retrospect, I could choose a childhood for myself I would choose exactly the childhood I was privileged to enjoy: that of growing up on our family farm in Tholthorpe. It was amazing. Not only did it shape my whole life in a way that I’ve been drawn to the village ever since, long into adulthood, but I wanted my own children and now their children to spend as much time as possible in the village “on the farm” enjoying the same thrills and experiences shared by generations before them. A Simple Life Village…