How historic family firm Mindful Memorials in York bounced back after pre-pack administration

"We try to calm the nervous system down,” says chief executive Anna Buckley, whose parents own the farm. “We know this is not a door that anybody wants to walk through but if we can create an environment where people can sit, take a breath and relax then they’re more likely to tell us the stories of their loved ones and the connections that made them so special.

"From there, we can take the important elements and use them in the design so that we can make the memorial very meaningful.”

Her husband and co-founder Adrian Buckley adds: “I think most stone masons see memorials as a commodity – they’ll talk about the shape, the colour and the material. Almost as an afterthought they’ll ask about the person. We like to talk about the person first so the memorial reflects that person.”

Our business newsletter will give you the inside track

The business, which was founded by Anna’s grandfather in the 1950s after returning from fighting in the Second World War, is back on its feet and planning for the future after a rocky year.

In March 2023, J Rotherham Ltd, which comprised Mindful Memorials and kitchen worktop firm Gemini Worktops, run by Anna’s brother, went into administration.

It followed two associated companies - J Rotherham Holdings and J Rotherham Masonry - going into administration in May 2020.

According to Anna and Adrian, Mindful Memorials was always profitable but because the two sides of the business were one company, they were both treated in the same way.

"Gemini had grown very quickly after hitting the home improvement wave during Covid and then hit all sorts of problems with Brexit,” Anna says.

"In September 2022, there was the double whammy of the Queen’s death and Liz Truss becoming prime minister and sales just dropped off a cliff.

"At that point we realised there was going to be a potential cash flow issue and we brought accountants Mazars in and they supported the business through that period.

"They could see it was a good business that had been caught up in circumstances that were beyond its control.”

Anna and Adrian completed a pre-pack administration deal for Mindful Memorials, taking back the ownership of the company, which employed 28 people, for just under £80,000.

"It was phenomenally stressful and we didn’t sleep for about six months,” says Anna.

Reports at the time suggested creditors would lose out but the couple insist it fulfilled all of its customer orders and all suppliers were paid. “There was nobody that wasn’t paid in full,” says Anna. “We wouldn’t still be here if we hadn’t paid because the council would be on our backs and we wouldn’t be able to fit our memorials into cemeteries.”

Meanwhile, the Gemini Worktop business, which employed 49 staff, was sold for just over £119,000 to Middlesbrough-based F Jones Cleveland.

"They did a deal with their main supplier so they managed to keep all the jobs on that side as well,” says Anna.

In addition to the head office and showroom in York, Mindful Memorials, which creates personalised memorials made from granite, stone and slate using on-site specialist carvers, still has six branches in Yorkshire, although it doesn’t own the freeholds to those since the administration.

It currently employs 25 people and is expected to have a record year with a turnover of about £1.5m by the end of March 2024.

The business is also planning for future growth. It has started working with a national company, which will sell the firm’s stone memorials from its 30 showrooms across the country.

But the move into bereavement support, prompted by Anna’s cancer diagnosis in 2011, is what makes the business stand out from its competitors.

"My own experience made me look at different approaches to health and wellness,” she says. “I felt it was important for me to use that within the business.

"We deal with a time in people’s lives that can be incredibly challenging. We know that we’re better positioned than funeral directors to be able to support people with that journey because we’re a bit further removed.”

Mindful Memorials is keen to create a healing experience for grieving families. As well as building the right environment and the space to remember a loved one with the showroom, it has started to create memorial design retreats using properties on the farm that it already owns for overnight stays.

The retreats allow customers to take their time to think about the memorial they want to create and manage their grief away from home and the stresses of everyday life.

"We’d like to widen the offer to art therapy and mindful walking. The farm is a really peaceful place and it lends itself to supporting people in grief,” says Anna.

A new area for the business is garden memorials. “Cemeteries and churchyards aren’t always the easiest places to grieve. They’re public spaces where people don’t necessarily want to show emotion,” says Anna.

Technology is also playing a greater role within the business. The couple’s 18-year-old son Benji joined the family firm after completing his A-levels, and works on the digital side with 3D modelling and product configurators. "That enables us to take everything to a different level and combine the best of the traditional skills with new technology,” says Anna.