Midlands funeral director to support 72 charities in 2025

With six branches across the West Midlands and Staffordshire, the initiative reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities it serves.

Each branch will raise funds for its own ‘Charity of the Month’ across 2025 – a move which will see an incredible 72 different charities receiving fundraising from the funeral director.

“As a family-run business, we deeply understand the importance of community,” said Managing Director John Ashe. “We have the privilege of supporting families during some of their most difficult moments, and we believe it’s our responsibility to give back in a meaningful way.

“Many of the charities have been nominated by either staff or our families that we serve, so there are lots of special, personal stories behind the support we will be giving to these great causes.”

The schedule starts this month with Cannock & District Foodbank, Max & George Trust, Staffordshire Women’s Aid, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Compton Care all being supported by the six branches. The funeral director plans to pack its agenda with fundraising events designed to provide a substantial financial donation per branch each month.

John continued: “We are proud to work within vibrant and diverse communities, and we want to ensure our efforts reflect the needs of the people around us. 

“Each branch will have the autonomy to select charities that align with local priorities. This approach allows us to address issues that matter most to the people we serve.”

Jennifer Ashe & Son’s commitment to charitable giving is not new. In recent years, the company has supported numerous local causes and food banks, but this 2025 initiative marks a significant expansion of their efforts. With six branches located in key areas across the region, including Willenhall, Oxley, Brownhills, Hednesford, Walsall and Lichfield, the funeral director is positioned to make an even more wide-reaching impact than ever before, arguably at a time that charity has never been needed more.

While there are several independent food banks across the country, between April 2023-March 2024, national food bank charity Trussell, distributed more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship – an increase of 94% over the previous five years.

Personal Funeral Advisor Claire Jones said of the move: “We know a lot of people are struggling financially as we enter 2025, with a huge increase in people using food banks, we saw a need to help support those in our local communities. Food banks will be a focus for us across 2025, alongside services that will shore up a range of crucial areas of need.”

John added: “It’s a privilege to serve these communities, and we look forward to making a difference together in 2025. By uniting and focusing our efforts, we can bring meaningful change to the lives of those who need it most.”