George Brooke Funeral Directors joins Funeral Partners

George Brooke Funeral Directors has officially joined the Funeral Partners network. 

The family-run funeral provider was initially formed in 1952 to provide joinery and building services, but later specialised solely in funerals.

Founder and business namesake, George Brooke, led the business until his passing in 2008, while his wife Audrey provided back-of-house support. 

Since then, their children Neil, Helen and Judith have all worked for the family business, with Neil retiring three years ago from his role which mainly focused on masonry. 

According to Helen and Judith, protecting their father’s legacy was “a key reason” for choosing to join Funeral Partners. 

The two sisters, who have been working in the industry for close to 80 years combined, remain in charge of the day-to-day operations at the two George Brooke funeral homes in West Yorkshire.

Helen said: “It is still such a fulfilling job, and the business has supported generations of different families. We both think it is an honour to look after people and truly believe it is a privileged position for us to be in.

“We have spoken to other Funeral Directors who have joined, and they were all very pleased with their decision, talked us through their experience and encouraged us to go for it. Protecting the employment of our team was also very important to us because without them we would not be able to run the business.”

She added: “I am confident with the support of the Funeral Partners experienced management team, investment in our teams, new processes and procedures to benefit our clients, our new website and marketing support will stand us in good stead for the future success of our business.”

Sam Kershaw, CEO of Funeral Partners, said: “I am proud that another business with a reputation for exemplary care, respect and understanding has chosen Funeral Partners as their acquisition partner.

“I am delighted that both Helen and Judith will continue to run the business, with both of them having had exceptional careers in the funeral industry in their own right, we welcome their wealth of experience to the Funeral Partners family.”