Families in Northern Ireland can give loved ones an environmentally friendly send off thanks to electric hearse

By Graeme Cousins
Published 6th Dec 2022, 12:48 BST
Senior Funeral Director Terry Weir, Funeral Service Operatives Nicola McKee, Deborah McConnell and Tom Maguire from James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors with the new electric hearseSenior Funeral Director Terry Weir, Funeral Service Operatives Nicola McKee, Deborah McConnell and Tom Maguire from James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors with the new electric hearse
Senior Funeral Director Terry Weir, Funeral Service Operatives Nicola McKee, Deborah McConnell and Tom Maguire from James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors with the new electric hearse
The introduction of an electric hearse by a Northern Ireland funeral business means that families in the Province wishing to give their loved ones an environmentally friendly send off now have even more choice.

Funeral Partners, who oversee James Brown and Sons branches in Belfast, as well as funeral directors in Newtownards, Bangor, Holywood, Carrickfergus, Larne and Donaghadee, are the latest to offer ‘green’ funerals to customers.

The first funeral directors to offer such a service is understood to be S Clarke and Son. As well as introducing plug-in hybrid hearses earlier this year they have solar panels fitted at their funeral churches in Bangor and Newtownards.

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For some time now coffins woven from environmentally friendly material such as willow have provided a green option when planning funerals, but electric hearses are a very recent development given the growth in plug-in vehicles.

The zero-emission electric-powered hearse being used by Funeral Partners is a specially designed Nissan Leaf, a family hatchback which has been on the market for more than 10 years.

In a review by What Car magazine, they said: “Performance is unaffected by the car's slight increase in weight, the Leaf pulling away with un-hearse-like enthusiasm. On our bumpy suburban test route and at gentle speeds it was comfortable and composed, while at higher speeds on country roads it cornered securely and predictably.”

Kylie Gourley, operations manager for Funeral Partners in Northern Ireland, said she was hoping the new vehicle would prove popular.

“It's all about offering choice,” she said.

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“More and more, we are finding many of the families may have driven an electric car themselves or lived a life where they were passionate about the environment or conscious about climate change, so having the opportunity to offer that choice can only be a positive thing.

“It looks almost identical to a regular hearse, just a little smaller with no middle seat, so you do not lose anything with the look and feel.

“We know there is a demand for this and hope it will allow us to offer an even better service to families who need to arrange funerals – and also be good for our planet.”

The electric option is now available at each of the five James Brown and Sons branches across Belfast and their funeral homes in Shore Road, Whiteabbey and the Beverley Shopping Centre in Newtownabbey.

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It is also on offer at John Gray and Co Funeral Directors in Newtownards, Bangor and Holywood, Mulhollands Funeral Directors in Carrickfergus and Larne, Houston and Williamson Funeral Directors in Belfast, and Shields of Donaghadee Funeral Directors.

Funeral Partners, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, is the UK's third largest funeral business.

It runs more than 230 funeral homes staffed by over 1,000 dedicated funeral professionals serving communities across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Surrey-based company has grown rapidly and now includes more than 130 family businesses, which have entrusted their reputation and heritage to Funeral Partners.

For more information about Funeral Partners visit www.funeralpartnersnorthernireland.com

Related topics:Northern IrelandProvinceBelfastLarne