A J Wakely & Sons has been caring for families across Somerset, Dorset and Devon since 1897, when brothers Arthur and Ernie Wakely, both carpenters, began making coffins in the village of Broadwindsor. The business has stayed in the family for four generations, now led by Richard Wakely, great-grandson of founder Arthur, who joined the firm after being mentored by long-serving funeral director Matthew Paterson.
The firm is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors, SAIF and the British Institute of Embalmers, reflecting a commitment to established codes of practice, and managers are contactable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year even though branch office hours are more limited. What began as a single village workshop has grown into a network of branches spanning Bridport, Beaminster, Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Lyme Regis, Sherborne, Wincanton and Yeovil.
The Wincanton branch, based at the town's Old Police Station, draws on that wider group's resources while retaining the personal, unhurried approach and local community knowledge the Wakely family has always been known for.
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