Your Total Guide To Business

June Talk with Matthew Finnegan

June is rolling by fast and today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and with the weather we've been having, there's a summer feel in the air. How are business owners feeling this week? Today we're talking to Matthew Finnegan, MD of Swindon Memorials which offers a personalized stonemason service around creative and beautiful memorials that reflect the uniqueness of your loved one. The family-run team also offer a grave tending service, which gives peace of mind that your loved ones' graves remain maintained in your absence. The company is based in Highworth at Unit 19 Blackworth Industrial Estate.

JUNE is the first month of Summer – what will you be doing this summer in your business?
We will be busy in our workshop completing our customer orders, we will also be out and about working in the local cemeteries and churchyards fixing memorials.

We have a few renovations to complete this month as well as lots of appointments booked in for new orders. A lot of customers come back to us time after time, when they need us. In the office we will be answering emails, applying for permits, producing layouts and all the general administration work that needs to be done when you own a business.

What are your personal plans for the summer?
I am going to Greece for two weeks during the summer with my family. My three girls will love playing in the pool, and enjoy trying new foods.

Does June hold any particular significance for you or your business?
As was Fathers' Day at the weekend, we know we will be busy with renovation work on existing memorials. We get a lot of requests to clean and repaint memorials by families in time for Fathers' Day. We also had a number of new memorials and added inscriptions to complete by this date.

June is often associated in nature with growth and abundance – what are your plans for growth?
We hope the way we work day to day will change. We hope to go from a paper based system to doing things more online.

As we hit this mid point of 2022– which one business has really supported or helped you over the last quarter?
We work very closely with Hilliers Funeral Service, local churches and cemeteries. All of which have been very supportive and helpful.

June 30 is Social Media Day – what does social media mean to you and your business? What are your favourite social media platforms?
We mainly use Facebook though a lot of customers prefer to email us. We need to develop this area as a company.

Tell us some recent news about your business that you'd like to share?
You may not be aware that we serve Swindon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Berkshire and we work in partnership with Hillier Funeral Service as I'm (Matt Finnegan) part of the Hillier family!

We have been extremely busy since the closure of Highworth Memorials, so we advise all our customers to book an appointment before visiting.

Do you take part in any community work?
Supporting our local community is really important to us. We recently produced and donated a memorial to St Michael's Church in Highworth, in memory of all the people who lost their lives due to Covid.

Last year we also produced a remembrance memorial over Tadpole Garden Village.

Another project we were involved in last year was renovating an old grave at Radnor Street cemetery in Swindon.

Swindon Town football fans helped pay for the renovation of James Munro's grave. He was Swindon’s first paid captain and passed away quite tragically in 1899. Only days earlier he had played in a 4-3 victory over Tottenham on New Year's Eve 1898.

Do you have any special offers you'd like to share?
Yes here they are:

CEMETERY HEADSTONE PACKAGE

£900.00 – £1,200.00

Polished black granite memorials include 60 sand blast characters (additional characters £2.00 for gold leaf) from a choice of fonts. Fixing by our BRAMM accredited mason will be 4-6 weeks at any Cemetery in Wiltshire; a computer generated proof will be provided and the price is inclusive of VAT.

Please note: Cemetery fees are not included in the price.

Black all polished granite headstone and rectangular base with central flower holder and vase.

60 gilded characters or 120 black/silver characters
NAMM approved anchor fixing
27” x 21” x 3”

CREMATION MEMORIAL PACKAGE

£550.00

Please note: Cemetery fees are not included in the price.

Black all polished granite
Cremated remains desk with a central flower holder and vase
60 gilded characters or 120 black/silver character
4”/2” x 15” x 18”

Swindon Memorials can be found here https://www.swindonmemorials.co.uk