SVP and Family Tree Funerals join forces

Family Tree Funerals, which is based in Stroud’s Middle Street, has signed up as a Company Friend of people-powered conservation charity Stroud Valleys Project (SVP), as part of the charity’s newly overhauled corporate support scheme.

CEO Clare Mahdiyone says, “We’re delighted to welcome Family Tree Funerals as a Company Friend of Stroud Valleys Project. We’ve worked together before, and we share the same approach; putting people first and promoting a climate and biodiversity-friendly business model.”

Jane Diamond, co-owner of Family Tree Funerals, says, “As a small, independent business, it feels essential for us to give back to the local community of which we’re a part. I grew up in Stroud and feel myself to be proudly embedded in the Stroud Valleys. In the same way that we’ve become disconnected from death and the dying process, so have we become disconnected from our natural environment… so supporting SVP in its work to promote the environment around Stroud, and people's engagement with it, feels like a natural fit.

“Family Tree is a funeral company first and foremost, but we offer a lot more than that, in that we’re actively committed to doing our bit to improve the culture around death and dying so it forms a part of our normal everyday conversations.

“Alongside running Family Tree, I’ve co-hosted the Nailsworth Death Cafe since 2016, I offer end-of-life planning to individuals and couples, and I promote the role of the end-of-life doula – a non-medical companion to the dying. I’ve always got various outreach projects on the go, and so, in summary, it’s fair to say Family Tree is working hard to make sure Stroud ‘does death well’!”

Clare Mahdiyone adds, “Family Tree are a fabulous organisation who really care about supporting the people of Stroud through challenging times. We too support people when they’re experiencing loss, health issues, or mental health challenges – we work with Longfield Hospice as part of our Carers in Nature project, for example.

“Our updated SVP Company Friend scheme gives organisations benefits such as team-building days and a freshen-up of their gardens or office green spaces – at the same time as supporting 16 natural habitats across Stroud district and hundreds of local people from different backgrounds and with different needs!”

To find out more about the benefits of becoming a Company Friend of Stroud Valleys Project, email info@stroudvalleysproject.org.

To find out more about Family Tree Funerals, email jane@familytreefunerals.co.uk.