May 2005

Barry's Diary Page

Well, another month passes and time to catch up.. 

There is some delay on the engines coming in for the new vehicles - this has put us back by four weeks but progress continues slowly.

We have just placed a new order with Wilcox & Co Limousines for our new removal vehicle with automatic hydraulic lifts.  We have also purchased from Canada, a beautiful luxury funeral care stretcher for the care of the deceased.

Over the last month, we have renovated our kitchen / eating and office area. We have updated our faxes and computers and made more room for our growing staff.   We envisage expanding our mortuary next year.

My lifetime's dream of a private board room has just come true and has already been put to good use for our board meetings and planning meetings. 

I mentioned last month that it was finished but now it is in full swing and I'm loving it!

Christopher Henley is still in Thailand working on the Tsunami disaster - a very demanding and difficult task for everybody. The work is likely to go on for many months to come.

We have also been deployed to Iraq twice since last month to return lost Armed services personnel. I never fail to be moved by the ceremonies or the loss.

It is with great regret that I announce the death of our long-term cleaner and good friend Terry. Both his daughter Christine and his grandson David work for Albins. He was a good man and will be sadly missed. R.I.P.

I have written again to the Mayor, Valerie Shawcross and Joan Ruddock MP, about the continued work on the bus lanes. 

With the recent disrespect shown by some unscrupulous people attacking a funeral cortège in Cheshire and wrecking a children's cemetery, surely this is the time for the Mayor to stand up and show respect and hopefully this will lead to a chain reaction to show these awful people that we are all prepared to stand up and put funerals where they belong - at the top of the list for respect. 

It is time to send a message to these people, that the rest of society will not tolerate this unsacred and anti-social behaviour.

I have just finished a television programme which will be shown on Sky called 'Mummy Autopsy', in which I was asked to give an expert view on how the body was preserved and kept in such a good mummified condition for many hundreds of years (remember - an expert is yesterday's has-been, so I wasn't too happy at being called an expert!) 

A very interesting programme I think - look out for this on the History or Discovery Channels.

We are working hard on the garden area ………………. 

That's all for now - just another reminder about the annual Christmas Memorial Garden Service. It will be held on December 7th starting at 7pm. Everybody is welcome. 

My best wishes go with you all