Neville Funerals wins community business award for 2025

Neville Funerals has been named community business of the year at the 2025 Community Interest Luton Awards, recognising the company’s investment in bereavement care and wider social value work across the region.

The business, part of the long-established Neville Trust Group, was acknowledged for its charitable activity, its employee volunteering scheme and its free bereavement support groups delivered through the Talking Elephants programme. The award comes as the broader Trust marks its 150th anniversary in 2025.

According to director Vicky Trumper, a fifth-generation member of the Neville family, this accolade reflects the commitment of staff to support people before and after a funeral. 

Trumper said: “This award is a meaningful acknowledgment of the dedication our teams show every day in providing care and support beyond the funeral itself. At a time when community connection and compassion are more important than ever, we are proud to be recognised for our long-term commitment to delivering meaningful, people-centred services.”

Launched in 2015, Talking Elephants offers free and informal bereavement support to anyone navigating grief. The initiative has delivered 96 sessions across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire so far in 2025, providing a regular space for people to share experiences and seek support among peers.

All sessions are staffed by volunteers from within the business, with funeral team members giving their time to keep groups running. The peer-led structure has become a core part of Neville Funerals’ community work.

To mark the Trust’s 150th year, Neville Funerals and its sister companies committed to 150 days of volunteering in 2025. Work has included support for schools and care homes and fundraising for the Trust’s charities of the year: Dementia UK, Mind Bedfordshire, Keech Hospice Care and Schoolreaders.

Trumper added: “We created Talking Elephants to help fill a gap in bereavement services locally – and it has grown into something truly special. Its success is entirely down to the passion and commitment of our team, who give their time freely to support those in need of connection and care.

“Social responsibility has always been a central part of how we operate,” Trumper said. “Our teams are trusted to represent the values of the business both inside and outside the workplace – and they do so with genuine compassion and pride.”

Neville Funerals operates nine branches across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and is regarded as one of the most established funeral directors in the region.