HC Townsend & Son Ltd - Boroughbridge

HC Townsend & Son was founded in 1927 by Henry Claude Townsend, originally as a joinery business that grew into funeral service, and remains a fourth-generation family firm today, run by David and Ann Townsend with son Alex now training in the business. Over the decades the firm has also grown through acquisition, taking on Cundalls Funeral Directors in the late 1970s and Backhouse of Hunsingore in 2005.

Based near Harrogate, the independent firm supports families across Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby, Leeds, York, Ripon and Boroughbridge, operating from its Follifoot base plus a Boroughbridge office opened in 2022. It maintains its own fleet of Mercedes funeral vehicles and chapel of rest facilities rather than relying on outside suppliers, and offers round-the-clock availability, with David Townsend himself remaining personally reachable.

The firm offers Golden Charter pre-paid funeral plans, which place client money into an independent trust for added protection, is a member of SAIF, and describes its approach as fair, respectful and transparent throughout - summed up in its own words as the belief that every funeral should be carried out with dignity and respect for both the deceased and the bereaved family.