Putting People First
with the families, going out to see them and fulfilling those special promises, no matter what.” This bespoke treatment is not something that you get from your average funeral directors either, and it’s only feasible here because Steph and Adele adamantly refuse to compromise on quality. “We’d rather have 150 funerals a year and keep that personal touch than do 500 to a lesser standard. As a rule of thumb, you’ll only ever deal with me or Adele and that’s how we want it to be.” On a related note, Wilson & Cooper do an usual amount of work totally free-of-charge. In the past, they’ve been known to absorb costs for things like limousine rentals, photographers, direct cremations, tribute videos and even coffins. Elsewhere, they’ll host a Santa’s Grotto each year, where children are gifted free presents, and send a surprise bouquet of flowers to relatives on the anniversary of their loved one’s funeral. Justifying the rationale behind all of this, Adele says: “We’re not pushovers, but when the bill comes along we don’t want it to be another [unnecessary] stress for families. We don’t want them worrying about whether or not they can afford it. At the end of the day, as long as we can pay our own bills and have a little money left over for us, that’s all that matters.”
Going the Extra Mile If there’s anything that gives this team an edge over the competition (apart from their exceedingly friendly demeanour) it’s the way that they go above and beyond for families. Whether it’s taking care of a special request, tailoring their services for affordability, or even doing some pro bono work, nothing is too great an ask. Which is all the more commendable when you consider the pressures that they themselves have been through since 2020. Reflecting on this, Steph muses: “Everything was against us at the beginning, but I think that’s exactly what gave us the drive to do more for our families. Because these were not normal times. We want to be there for everybody. We want to be a funeral directors where nothing is an issue.” And they certainly have accommodated some out-there requests, including getting a New Orleans-style band to perform a rendition of “Bring Me Sunshine” at a crematorium, and arranging for a McLaren to be driven in front of the hearse at the funeral of an especially petrol-headed young man. “They wouldn’t have gotten that at Co- op”, Steph jokes. “Whatever they want, they can have. As long as it’s legal! [Laughs]. We’re all about spending time
“But the thing is, when people have just lost a loved one, they don’t really care what you’re wearing. They know why they’ve come here and they don’t need reminding of the situation’s [gravity]. They want a comforting presence at this difficult time and that’s what we try to provide for them. “Generally, whenever we are in the building we are going to be smart-casual. Sometimes Adele will have slippers on and I’ll have yellow crocs, because I’ll be going up and down stairs all of the time and God knows you just can’t be doing that in heels!” It is this good-humoured, almost nonchalant attitude that Steph believes resonates most strongly with the families that come through Wilson and Cooper’s doors. Bereavement is naturally a seismic occurrence in anybody’s life and, in her opinion, that’s all the more reason to try and offer a fresh perspective that doesn’t dwell on grief. Describing this as a “modern touch on death”, she explains: “We want to try and start conversations about this taboo topic and make it seem less scary. [That’s why] we do Facebook live videos that walk people through what we do, answer their questions and try to make it all seem a little more normal.” This strategy has been really successful for the business so far, as evidenced by their recent People’s Choice Award win and the dedicated following they have amassed on social media. They’ve even organised a webcast with the famous Dancing Pallbearers from Ghana (who rose to prominence in 2020 as a popular TikTok meme) to show how funeral services needn’t always be sombre affairs. Steph adds: “You know, if people want that traditional man-in-a-suit approach, then there are plenty of funeral directors out there who will do that for them. We just want to be ourselves, and our families seem to like that about us.”
it just seemed like the odds were stacked against them. Yet they persevered in spite of those teething problems and ultimately came out with a thriving business that is now celebrated for putting the needs of its customers first and for always going the extra mile. To learn more about why Wilson & Cooper is so beloved by the community — and what they have done to earn such fierce loyalty — we met with the company’s owners at their office in Scunthorpe. A Modern Touch On Death The first thing that strikes us about Steph Cooper and Adele Wilson is how incredibly welcoming and down-to-earth they are. For people in their line of work, they don’t appear overly concerned with formalities. On the contrary, when we sit down for our interview, the pair are dressed in casualwear and greet us with chipper smiles that would instantly put anyone at ease. Acknowledging how unorthodox this might seem to outsiders, Steph reasons: “When you go to a traditional funeral directors you are typically [met] by people in formal attire. You know, suits, black ties, dresses and so on.
A funeral directors with a strong moral compass and boundless empathy, Wilson & Cooper have made a name for themselves by always putting families first. At last year’s Doncaster Business Awards, we introduced a brand-new People’s Choice accolade. As the name suggests, this was an opportunity for the local population to have their say and name their favourite organisation in the entire borough. The shortlist here was comprised of every single finalist from across every single one of our other categories, meaning that there were just over 50 businesses in the running. Doncaster’s flagship employers, major corporations with national clout, and other assorted industry heavyweights were all vying for the trophy but, in the end, it was a humble little funeral directors that secured the most votes. A quintessential underdog story, the team at Wilson & Cooper have overcome real adversity over the past few years. Right from the off, they were beset with various obstacles and setbacks, as they had to contend with the hardships of starting a business amidst a global pandemic. In those early days, there were even occasions when they considered throwing in the towel altogether because
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Wilson & Cooper
Wilson & Cooper
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