Ashes To Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer

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Every effort to admit latecomers will be made at a suitable break in the event, but admission cannot always be guaranteed. Although I work in the funeral industry this is not an area that I am exposed too so I started reading it more out of professional interest. Very interesting, well paced book about a council officer’s job burying those who have no-one else who can.

She doesn't always succeed, but it's heartening to see the lengths to which she goes and the effort she puts in. It has made me rethink my own hazy death wishes (no pun intended) and reinvigorated me to properly sit down and document some things like the far distant seeming will/funeral instead of just winging it with my life insurance. I'd never heard of the post of Council Funeral Officer before; but it sounded like a fascinating job, organising Section 46 funerals under the Public Health Act, ie, for people without the family and/or finances to cremate or bury them: although I do wonder how many CFOs perform their task in the way that Evie does.She really does care about her "clients" and is wonderful at turning otherwise heart-rending events into something meaningful and significant. However, last year I discovered she had passed away early in 2022 and so sent for her death certificate.

Its not often people talk about a good death, planning your funeral or what happens when you cant afford to pay for a loved ones funeral. In this talk, Evie lifts the coffin lid on the world of a council funeral officer, a job that lurches from the legislative and administrative, via the workaday and practical, right through to the emotional and existential. Occasionally, events are cancelled or postponed by the promoter, team, performer or venue for a variety of reasons.There's no doubt that King's job can be emotionally tough and also hard on the olfactory system at times, but it's also clear that this is a fascinating and deeply rewarding career requiring a combination of skills, including those of a detective on occasion. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. King brings us face-to-face with these unusual circumstances that touch on life and death together in unexpected ways.

Reminiscent of Adam Kay but in a glorious world all of its own, this made me smile a lot and also cry. It is also testament to how far a stranger will go to show that each life is important and that we should all aim to live well. In fact, the reassuring truth is that a Section 46 funeral may have fewer frills than other funerals, but it is still every bit as respectful and dignified. I've learned a lot from this memoir (like, who knew you could bequeath your loyalty card points) and it's made me think a little more about my own inevitable demise.Whilst King has no way of knowing how other CFOs operate, her approach is to contact all the relevant authorities and necessary departments to set the wheels in motion. Another reason why people might be buried under Section 46 is the fact that human relationships and human life is complicated. In Ashes to Admin, Evie King shares endlessly fascinating — and often unexpected — experiences from her job as a council funeral officer. If the event is cancelled, please contact us for information on receiving a refund from the responsible party. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.