Death is Part of Life
As we get older, death inevitably becomes a more common feature of our lives. Many of us will know someone close to us who has died and, in some way, will have felt the impact of those who work in the death industry.
Many people in our community have considered jobs like death doula, grief counsellor, funeral director, celebrant, or some other line of work associated with death.
To help demystify and talk about the death sector, we are delighted to have Poppy Mardall come and talk to us about:
The good things about working in this sector
The eye opening things to consider
Alternative approaches to death and opportunities to work in the field
What training/qualifications you might need to consider
The qualities and strengths you need
About Poppy
Poppy Mardall, Founder of Poppy’s Funerals.
She set up Poppy’s in 2012 to offer people flexibility and transparency when planning a funeral. A woman in a male-dominated field, she helps grieving friends and relatives create a truly personal occasion by bringing up-to-date, ethical, and environmentally friendly practices to funerals in London.
Poppy’s previous career had been at auction house Sotheby’s, but it was her volunteer work with support charity Samaritans that inspired her to pursue a vocation supporting and serving people through difficult times in their lives.
Stories in the media had drawn Poppy’s attention to problems in the funeral care sector. She realised she could bring a new approach to an industry that had become dogged by bad practice. Instead of manipulative sales techniques, poor care for the dead, and an inflexible idea of what a funeral service should be, Poppy resolved to introduce fresh thinking to death care.
Poppy Mardall’s awards and appearances:
Natwest Everywoman Awards
Management Today's 35 under 35
Real Business/CBI award.
Featured in titles including The Times, The Independent, The Daily Mail, Newsweek, Tatler, Cosmopolitan and Stylist. Television and radio appearances include BBC Breakfast, BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC London and LBC Awards
Top-three best-rated Funeral Directors in London
Featured in the Good Funeral Guide
Poppy’s team member named funeral arranger of the year 2022 at the Good Funeral Awards
Officially recognised as a Living Wage Employer, Poppy sees it as her mission to get people talking about death, dying and grief.