Westerleigh Group becomes key sponsor of bereavement podcast

Westerleigh Group has agreed to become a key sponsor for funeral director John Adam’s podcast to help empower the bereaved and support a wider campaign calling for compulsory bereavement education in school. 

Adams, who is the immediate past-president of the NAFD, started his podcast ‘Death: A Changing Industry’ earlier this year. 

Last October, Adams also launched a parliamentary petition for all school-age children to be taught about death, dying and bereavement in schools. This petition has attracted 11,322 signatures, and as a result, the government will be carrying out a public consultation this autumn. 

The petition led Adams to being appointed funeral industry advisor to the Child Bereavement UK charity and his podcast, which has an overall theme of “from grief to growth”, ties into his on-going push for bereavement to become part of the national curriculum. 

The podcast has been ranked 13th in the world on the topic of grief, but Adams is aiming for it to reach number one. 

Adams said: “When someone dies, we tend to be reactive whereas, with education and more awareness, we can be proactive. Education plays a key part in that, starting in schools. Children already see death and loss all around them, from Disney films and books to items on the news, the Queen’s funeral this year and so on.

“But with the right information and education, young people and children can be empowered, resulting in a positive way forward after a funeral. I lost my mother when I was 12, which gave me the fuel and fire to help in the future.”

He added: “For a child, their immediate family is their life and I feel passionately that we give children the option to be involved in funerals and the grieving process. Every child is different, and there is simply not one size fits all when it comes to death and bereavement.”

Debbie Smith, CEO of Westerleigh Group, said: “John’s passion for what he does is inspiring and we’re proud to play a part in supporting his efforts. His work resonates with many of our values, in terms of empowering people to make informed choices about what is right for them when it comes to saying goodbye to a loved one.

“We work hard with families to create uniquely personal services which can bring added comfort at a very upsetting time and, beyond that, we are able to offer a wide range of memorialisation options, from etched stones to trees and memorial jewellery and many other ways, which help them remember and honour their loved ones.”