Stowmarket-based Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Service among winners at Golden Charter’s Funeral Planner of the Year awards

Suffolk-based Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Service has been named among the regional winners in the annual Funeral Planner of the Year Awards, run by leading funeral plan provider Golden Charter.

The Stowmarket firm picked the the Funeral Planner of the Year title for the East of England in the category for smaller businesses, arranging up to 150 funerals a year.

Andrew Bingham and his wife Heidi were presented with a plaque and a framed certificate in recognition of their success at an awards event, which was hosted by BBC television presenter Sian Lloyd and staged at The Vale Resort near Cardiff.

In addition to the main prize, Gold Charter will also be dedicating a number of trees to the company, through a partnership with the Woodland Trust, which will be planted locally in recognition of the its achievement.

The Funeral Planner of the Year Awards focus on the achievements of independent funeral directors, who make up a majority of the funeral industry.

Golden Charter says that, with figures from SunLife showing that the average price of a basic funeral has increased by more than 90% in the past 11 years to £3,693, more people are choosing to use funeral plans to freeze the cost of the funeral director’s services at current prices.

Ronnie Wayte, Golden Charter’s chief executive, said: “Now in their 23rd year, the awards are more competitive than ever before, with funeral plans continuing to grow in popularity.

“This award is well earned proof that Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Service has reached a remarkable standard.”