Reviews

I cannot thank Jane enough for the incredible kindness and grace she showed our family while planning my father’s farewell. After what had been a grueling nine weeks, pre & post death with Harrogate Hospital, Jane’s gentle spirit provided me with a level of comfort I didn't think was possible.

I was particularly nervous about seeing him in an open casket, but Jane stayed right by my side, offering comfort and support until I felt ready to be left alone. When I did see him, her attention to detail was so evident. For a man who was always impeccably dressed, she had ensured he looked exactly as he should. It was a huge relief to see him at peace after such a long ordeal.

I truly believe this industry benefits so much from a woman’s touch, and Jane’s presence was a testament to that. She brought a level of intuition and warmth to the process that we didn't even know we needed.

Jane, you have a true gift for what you do. I am so deeply grateful that you were the one to guide us through this.

James Ellis was amazing. He was kind and caring and very patient with my 79 year old grieving Mum. He explained everything to us and kept us fully informed of everything. He was friendly, approachable, compassionate and never made us feel like anything was too much or a problem. The funeral went just how we wanted it to and this was a great relief. Thank you James.

They are very good at what they do, and I have blessed the fact that my folks set up a funeral plan with them several years ago.

My mum died 4 weeks ago - not unexpected as she was very frail, but it still has a big impact. James managed everything around the funeral from start to finish and the whole company have been great.

I was particularly grateful to James for his sensitivity in our first planning conversation two days after my mum's death, when I was still very raw. And to his colleague Emma for explaining the death certificate process to me. The driver who took us from the church to the interment was also lovely.

They handled all the details, were very flexible about things we wanted to tweak, and communicated clearly about the things we needed to do. They had people to recommend for everything, flowers, organist, catering etc, but left the choices completely to us. Clair Strike at Nicolla Florist did a wonderful job with the flowers. Christine Street, the organist, turned out to be a friend of my brother. She also led the singing beautifully.

The funeral was yesterday and it was genuinely lovely. Definitely helped that we decided to hold it nearly 4 weeks after her death due to the illness of a family member. That's my top tip for people in a similar situation - we had time to put everything together and were much more able to appreciate and connect with the people who came.

Anyway, good job James and all the staff at Hartleys. Thank you all so much. I would strongly recommend you to anyone navigating the death of a loved one.