Funeral directors bid to bury record (From Your Local Guardian)

Funeral directors bid to bury record

11:09am Thursday 4th September 2008 in

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A hundred hearses will make their way through Croydon in a bid to set a new world record.

The record attempt will see hearses both old and new, including motorcycles, congregate at the Croydon Hilton as part of the British Institute of Funeral Directors’ (BIFD) annual conference.

Adrian Pink, current president of BIFD and south Croydon funeral director, said: “I wanted to make this year’s conference something different. We always have a bit of a trade show but we need to do more to open our doors to the public.

“The funeral profession has a history of conservation and there are many restored hearses around the UK so we thought that we would try and bring a few of them together at the conference.

“They range from a Victorian hand bier to the latest Mercedes-Benz based models.

“There are a few horse drawn hearses and a range of models from the 1950’s through to the current day, including a classic Cadillac hearse. One of the biggest Rolls Royce fleet owners in the world, A W Lymm of Nottingham is sending six Roll Royce vehicles to the event.

“My motto is MAD - make a difference - and I’m sure with this record attempt we will be able to do so.”

Adrian Pink concluded: “The BIFD wants to open up the profession and its suppliers to their market, to make the whole process less intimidating. The hearse cavalcade is an event that puts us in the public eye, it lets the public and the funeral directors see the range of vehicles available from the carriage masters.”

The Mayor of Croydon will be special guest, along with adjudicators from Guinness World of Records, as the hearses start their parade at 2.15pm on Saturday, October 25.