Westcountry Funeral Service

Funeral services in Plymouth and the surrounding area

Westcountry Funeral Service is a funeral service company that serves families in Plymouth, Plympton, Plymstock, Saltash and nearby towns. Its team of funeral directors supports families in organising the farewell, from planning the funeral to choosing a keepsake or preparing a reading for the ceremony.

Arranging a funeral and initial arrangements

The company steps in from the very first moment after a death, whether it occurs at home, in a care facility, in a hospital or elsewhere. They explain the next steps, arrange for the deceased to be brought into their care and provide guidance on the necessary paperwork and documentation. In Plymouth they also help to register the death, contact the local authorities when required and coordinate with hospitals or coroners before starting to plan the ceremony.

Types of service

• Traditional funerals
• Burials
• Cremations
• Direct cremations
• Personalised farewells

Personalisation includes elements such as music, readings, floral choices and personal tributes. The company also arranges the repatriation of a body to another country, including international documentation and coordination with the authorities in the destination country.

Advance planning and paperwork

The website includes sections dedicated to funeral plans and advance planning, as well as death registration, local registers, cemeteries and crematoriums. The Park Crematorium, Glynn Valley Crematorium and Tamar Valley Crematorium are mentioned. It also offers advice guides and a collection of funeral readings and poems.

Emotional support and resource network

Alongside the funeral service, the company directs families to support organisations in the region: bereavement counsellors, local groups, charities specialising in loss and online communities. The company sees this support as part of its work both during the organisation of the service and after it has taken place.

A family tradition dating back to the 19th century

The Parson family's connection to the funeral profession dates back to the 19th century, when ancestors established in Plymouth worked as carpenters and cabinet makers and gradually took on undertaking duties as communities began to commission coffins. John Walter Parson is recorded as the first member of the family formally registered as a funeral director in the 1881 census. Walter Oscar Parson expanded the business in the early 20th century and Walter Cyril Parson kept it going during the war years. Under the leadership of Wally Parson, the company grew from two offices to seven locations and built a reputation in Devon and Cornwall.

Richard Walter Parson, the fifth generation, was born in the accommodation above the family funeral home and worked alongside his father for more than twenty years. A change in management in 1999 led to Wally's retirement and, later, to Richard's departure in 2010. The current company presents itself as continuing that tradition.

Professional background of its principal

Richard Walter Parson began his career outside the family business, training at The Great Southern Group in Kingston-upon-Thames. Within a year he obtained the National Association of Funeral Directors diploma with the highest mark in the country. In 1988 he returned to Plymouth to join the family business. After the 1999 management change and his father's retirement, he took a year's sabbatical to take part in the Global Challenge Yacht Race, a round-the-world sailing race. He then joined Co-op Funeralcare, where he became Care Excellence Manager for the south of the UK, with responsibilities for advising on regulatory standards and training funeral professionals. He currently chairs the British Institute of Embalmers (South West Division) and leads Westcountry Funeral Service.

Team qualifications and care

The team includes qualified members of the National Association of Funeral Directors and the British Institute of Embalmers. The company states that it serves families outside normal hours as well, including evenings and weekends, and that it supports funeral planning by explaining each step without rushing decisions.

Offices and premises

Plymouth office: The Old Smithy, Haye Road South, Elburton, Plymouth PL9 8HH

Saltash office: 91 Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6AE

Plympton office: Unit 16 Bell Close, Plympton PL7 2DE