News

Bungard & Sons Limited have won two awards at this years Hove Business Association "At your Service" awards ceremony.

8th November 2011

Bungard & Sons Limited are celebrating winning two awards at this year’s “At your Service Awards” organised and judged by the Hove Business Partnership by displaying a new sign on the side of their building. The sign proudly declares that they are the “Brighton & Hove’s Oldest Independent Family Funeral Directors”.

The company won the “Best Professional Service in Hove and Portslade“ award and also the “Overall Achievement Award” and they were collected by Richard Whittle, the fifth generation of the family and Eric De Chalon who has worked for Bungards for over ten years.

James Whittle, the fourth generation and current Managing Director was on holiday when the awards were presented and said on his return “I was delighted that we won not just one but two awards and it is sad that I was not able to be present. I am sure it is because we are the oldest independent funeral director in Brighton and Hove. So we decided it was time to display the fact on the building.”

Bungard’s have been serving the local community for over 105 years. In that time records show that over 120 local families have been supported each year through a time of grief and sadness. Bungard’s has remained in its prominent location in Sackville Road for all of those years and prior to becoming a Funeral Directors they ran a Stone-Masons based in Old Shoreham Road.

Bungard & Sons Limited have been nominated as a finalist for this years Hove "At Your Service" awards in the Best Professional Business category.

10th October 2011

We are delighted to announce that we have been nominated as a finalist in the Best Professional Business category for 2011 at the Hove "At Your Service" awards. The winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony on Wednesday 19 October at the Lansdowne Place Hotel. - More details can be found here.

Bungard & Sons Limited have chosen Off The Fence Trust to be our "Charity of the Year" for 2011 & 2012

28th July 2011

Off The Fence Trust is a Brighton based registered charity founded on a Christian vision and driven by Christian values. The charity provides vital services to the most vulnerable and marginalised in our community. The charity works in the three areas of street homelessness, women facing times of crisis and schools and youth. Off The Fence staff are supported by an enthusiastic and committed group of more than 80 volunteers.

Fifth generation Funeral Director joins century old local family business

5th July, 2011

Brighton and Hove’s oldest firm of independent family funeral directors, Bungard & Sons Limited, has recently been joined by Richard Whittle thereby establishing the family business’s fifth generation. The business was founded in 1906 by Richard’s great, great grandfather and has become a cornerstone of Hove for over 105 years.

The second son of Managing Director, James Whittle, Richard, has joined at a particularly exciting time for the business with plans to update and modernise the business and premises. Being a small family business, Bungard & Sons Limited is in the perfect position to quickly adapt to new demands which many larger businesses may find difficult. James is the son of Margaret Whittle the daughter of James Bungard (2nd generation). Margaret is also the cousin of 3rd generation Company Director Rupert Bungard.

Richard is also acutely aware of the many challenges facing today’s small businesses with clients demands and expectations regularly changing and the need to constantly adapt in the local competitive environment. Therefore more focus will also be placed on pre-payment funeral plans with Golden Charter as they are already proving a successful and important channel for the future of the business.

Richard, 31, said;
“I always wanted to come into the family business – it was just a case of when as opposed to if. In spite of our heritage and reputation we have to keep moving forward to update and reinvent the business on an ongoing basis, something that each of the preceding generations of the family has done to keep Bungards at the forefront of local funeral directing.”

Canon David Gutsell, who has known James and the Bungards team for over three decades said;
“Since 1906 Bungards has displayed two essential qualities; continuity and adaptability. These qualities are exemplified in the continuing and unchanging tradition and values of personal care, attention to detail, dignity for the deceased and support for the bereaved. I f that is what tradition means, then I am pleased what has been shown in the past will be continued in the future under the latest member of the family.”

Adrian Herbert, a recent client, from Hove said,
“It is good news that such a long established local firm is to continue in business under the direction of Richard Whittle, the son of the present owner.
I have been extremely impressed by the professional yet sympathetic attention I have received on both the occasions I have needed their servicies and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone else.”

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. IN 1906 Oliver Bungard, who was a Monumental Mason, opened a Funeral Director’s office at 142 Sackville Road, Hove. The first funeral was conducted on 7th April of that year. By 1916 the firm was in its present location at 90 Sackville Road, Hove and the Monumental Masonry work was carried out at 270-272 Old Shoreham Road, Hove.
2. More information and details of how to contact Bungard and Sons Ltd can be found at www.bungards.co.uk
3. For many people, planning their funeral has become an established way of looking at the future, just like making a will. We believe that the Independent Way funeral plan, which is available only through

Bungard & Sons Limited

Family Funeral Directors since 1906