A church in Buckie has been snapped up by a local undertaker with plans to expand the business and also open it up to the community.
Joe Dawsons Funeral Home is in the process of revamping the old Church of Christ building at Cluny Terrace.
Undertaker and co-owner Laura Wood said she was excited to repurpose the space.
And she said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s a small town and everybody knows what’s happening. We have had such good feedback that they are really chuffed,” she said.
“People are saying it’s nice to see the building being used again.”
Laura and business partner William Paterson bought Joe Dawsons Funeral Home as a going concern a year and a half ago.
At first the Aberdonian was anxious about how she might settle in to the small fishing town.
But she quickly build up a rapport with the locals who she describes as “next level friendly”.
Buckie funeral director’s plans
Now Laura wants to invest in growing the business and opening up the Cluny Terrace space is her way of saying thank you for that warm welcome.
She adds: “We are open to ideas. What I would like to do is offer it up to some community groups.
“There’s a charity that offers counselling services, potentially if they could find a use for it I would love to be able to let those people in.
“It’s costing a fortune, but the people here have been so kind to us since we moved in. It would be nice to give something back and say the space is there if they need it.”
It’s a practical solution to changing trends in the funeral sector too.
Laura says some Buckie families are no longer comfortable holding funeral services and teas in churches.
Likewise they may not be so keen on gatherings at venues that serve alcohol.
“It’s getting more and more common that families want something a bit more intimate, or maybe not linked to a church,” explained Laura.
“It’s trying to provide a space for the families so they can have a very personal funeral service and they don’t have to have ties to anywhere.
“Some families, if they are not using a church, they don’t necessarily feel comfortable using a church hall for a funeral tea.
“Therefore the only places that are left are the hotel which is outwith of Buckie or one of the golf clubs.
“Again because drinks are served they might not be comfortable with that either. It’s a nice size for them and if they want to use it for a funeral tea they can.”
Undertaker buys former Church of Christ
This is Laura’s 12th year working as a funeral director, previously she worked at Berrydale Funeral Home and Co-op Funeral care in Aberdeen.
“This all came about because of my Grandma passing away,” she said. “I didn’t have the best of experiences when I went in to see her.
“It was the second time I had seen a loved one in the rest room and I didn’t feel as though the effort had been put in to get her looking her best.
“I thought it must be a really rewarding thing to do to look after people and now honestly I wouldn’t do anything else. I absolutely love it.”
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