Generations of Funeral Care - celebrating 170 years

Tracing our local heritage, our business has been in succeeding ownership for 170 years, with the last 60 years being looked after by three generations of the Locke family who have served the South Warwickshire community since Raymond started his apprenticeship in 1940 through to Colin and George, who run the business today. As an award winning family business, they are supported by their dedicated team, all possessing a wealth of local knowledge, high professional standards, care and attention to detail.

Who are R Locke & Son?
We are independent funeral directors, family-run and owned, with offices in Brailes, Kineton and Wellesbourne, serving the local communities and surrounding areas of South Warwickshire. We are members of SAIF, The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors. As a SAIF member, you can be assured of a compassionate, professional approach underpinned by an industry-leading Code of Practice.

What services do we offer?
At R. Locke & Son, one of our funeral directors will be your principal contact throughout the arrangements. As a team, we will do everything we can to deliver a funeral fulfilling your wishes, whilst respecting the memory of the person you love.

We can arrange traditional or modern funerals based on a burial, cremation, natural burial, woodland, religious, civil or non-religious service. If your loved one didn’t want a traditional funeral, we can arrange a simple low-key service using our hearsette instead of the traditional hearse together with pared back options. Alternatively, we offer direct cremation or burial as a simple, dignified and affordable choice, providing you with the opportunity to celebrate the life of your loved one in your own way, with or without a separate ceremony, giving you the choice of viewing, a particular choice of coffin or any other element of a traditional funeral.

We also offer a variety of ‘green’ funeral options, from locally sourced flowers to coffins made from environmentally friendly materials, such as cardboard and willow produced in the UK, some at close as Radford Semele.

Our dedicated and compassionate service extends to the arrangement of venue, vehicles, service options and music, plus other elements as required to create a fitting farewell for your loved one.

Award winning
We are proud of our heritage and were delighted to be awarded Family Business of the Year in a National competition run by Golden Charter funeral plan provider. The award, sponsored by SAIF Bereavement Care, attracted entries from Funeral Directors throughout the UK.

Recent changes
Since 2020, we have significantly extended our Brailes premises to include a new room for arranging funerals with families, surrounded by beautiful views, where we can offer simple refreshments. Families wishing for intimate services have been using our chapel at Brailes for small gatherings, offering the possibility to live stream the service for those who cannot attend in person.

All improvements have been led by wanting the best for our clients and also to become even more environmentally sustainable, including the addition of solar panels and replanting of bee friendly hedging.

What about donations?

Families often wish to nominate a charity for donations in place of, or in addition to, funeral flowers.

As an alternative to cash donations on the day of the funeral, we have established an online donations service on our website, including the option to add ‘Gift Aid’. As a company, we believe that every penny that is generously donated in memory of a loved one should go to the chosen charity, and to make sure this happens, we cover the costs of all card and transaction fees.

Moving with the times

Whilst maintaining our traditional values, we are aware that it’s important to move with the times. Our website is regularly updated with funeral announcements incorporating links for visitors to make an In Memoriam donation; this not only marks the loss of each person as a unique and individual character, but also enables the family to communicate key details to friends, family and community.

We have embraced the use of social media and regularly share information, stories of interest, local news items and information regarding the SAIF Care bereavement support service, to further assist the families with whom we work.

Why we offer the SAIF Care service
We know that no-one can understand exactly what your loss feels like to you. But we do understand that it’s sometimes easier to talk to someone outside of your friends and family about grief and the impact of bereavement on your life. This is why we offer the SAIF Care bereavement support service with a Freephone help line, email support and webchat facility. Details can be found at www.rlockeandson.co.uk/about/saif-bereavement-care

How can I contact you?
For more information please call us:
Brailes (01608) 685274
Kineton (01926) 640386
Wellesbourne (01789) 840744
or visit www.rlockeandson.co.uk