CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME:
Kenneth John West MBE
BORN:
6.9.1946
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Institute of Burial & Cremation Administration Diploma
April 1974
- Royal Horticultural Society Certificate in General Horticulture
June 1977
- Diploma in Management Studies (DMS) with Credit June 1991
- Institute of Leisure & Amenity Management Diploma with
Distinctions August 1991
EMPLOYMENT
HISTORY:
1961 – Shrewsbury Cemetery horticultural trainee, later
cremator technician then clerical officer at Shrewsbury
Crematorium
1969 – 1972 Assistant Superintendent Shrewsbury
1972 – 1974 Deputy Manager – Sheffield MBC
1974 – 1983 Superintendent & Registrar - Wolverhampton
1983 – 2001 Bereavement Services Manager - Carlisle
2001 – 2003 Bereavement Services Manager - Cardiff
2003 – 2006 Bereavement Services Manager – Croydon
2006 - ------- Active consultancies (see below)
AWARDS:
- Awarded Institute of Burial & Cremation Administration (IBCA)
Fellowship in 1989
- Institute of Burial & Cremation Administration - President 1993
- Awarded Institute of Burial & Cremation Administration Life
Membership in 1996
- Awarded MBE by HRH Queen Elizabeth in 2002 for services to
burial and cremation
- Honorary Master of Arts – Durham University January 2013
WORK EXPERIENCE:
SHREWSBURY (1961-1972) - I gained my initial training as a horticultural trainee, much of
this, in retrospect, destroying old cemetery wildflower meadow. I progressed through posts of
cemetery sexton, cremator operator and administrative clerk to Assistant Superintendent and
Registrar. Left due to post changes as part of local government reorganisation.
SHEFFIELD (1972-1974) – Obtained post as Assistant Manager of a section managing two
crematoria and eighteen cemeteries. My principle objective was to manage the commissioning
of the new Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium in west Sheffield
WOLVERHAMPTON (1974-1983) - Managed three cemeteries and a twin chapel crematorium.
Developed bereavement skills with a diverse community including Muslim, Hindu, Sikh,
Hebrew and Gypsy/Traveller groups, and experienced considerable racism in management. To
make better use of Victorian cemeteries, I created a Heritage Trail, a schools use programme
and re-introduced grounds conservation practice. I also joined the steering group to form a
local branch of CRUSE, to support and advise the bereaved. Left to move north to the Lake
District
CARLISLE DC (1983-2001) – employed as Superintendent & Registrar, later Bereavement
Services Manager of a crematorium, three cemeteries and the maintenance of seven closed
churchyards. I developed a low input grounds conservation policy to increase wildlife diversity,
the money saved used to enhance other parts of the service. Around 1990 I recognised
funeral directors as gatekeepers and developed a more pro-active and transparent service
intended to inform people about funerals and funeral choices. This realisation, together with
natural burial, eco coffins and the right of people to do funerals without a funeral director, upset
many in the funeral industry, and also lead to my proposal for a Charter for the Bereaved. The
controversy attracted extensive media coverage starting with an article by Charles Clover in
the Daily Telegraph called ‘A New Way of Death’ (July 1993), natural burial featuring on BBC
Countryfile programme (Feb. 1994), increased choice featured on Scottish Television (Oct.
1995) and regular items were shown on Border Television over many years. In March 2010,
the Sheffield Natural Burial Research identified the Countryfile programme as the most
influential in attracting farm sites to adopt natural burial. There was also extensive coverage
through national newspapers and the local press, principally the News & Star & Cumberland
News, and much of this was about environmental initiatives. Carlisle Council was also very
active in the national anti-poverty forum and I did much work specifically related to funeral
poverty. Moved south in order to obtain enhanced final salary pension prior to retirement
CARDIFF COUNCIL (2001-2003) - employed as Bereavement Operational Manager managing
8 cemeteries and a twin chapel crematorium handling 4,000 funerals a year. I re-tendered the
Cardiff Funeral Service during this period creating the lowest cremation funeral cost in the UK.
I also helped organise and addressed a CRUSE Seminar (2002) on ‘The Changing Face of
funerals’. Left this post due to disquiet over the heavy politicisation of the council.
CROYDON COUNCIL (2003-2006) – employed as Bereavement Services Manager managing
a crematorium, three cemeteries and the mortuary service. This was a neglected service,
which had experienced a serious decline in burial and cremation numbers, mostly due to poor
competitive tendering grounds contracts, as well as serious underfunding, over the previous
decade. The burial plots looked very poor, and I instituted a memorial safety inspection and
renovation programme (2006). Conscious of the severely underused twin chapels and
cremators, I designed a pet cremation scheme. This was intended to operate out of hours and
to utilise a spare (human) cremator, but it was not launched prior to my retirement (or since). I
retired from this post and local government in September 2006 after 45 years cemetery and
crematorium service.
PROFESSIONAL INITIATIVES:
WOLVERHAMPTON:
:
Ceased mass burial of stillbirths in a single grave, routine since 1850’s, and introduced
individual burial in section called ‘Babies Memorial Garden (1976)
:
Developed close links between our service and CRUSE in offering bereavement
counselling and other advisory services to widows and widowers
CARLISLE:
:
Introduced first UK Biodiversity Action Plan including 20 acre conservation zone with
specific targets including return of owls and invertebrates (1986 – on)
:
Started the first UK service to accept foetal remains for burial or cremation as an
alternative to hospital or waste incineration, where the ashes went to landfill
:
Devised and opened the world’s first natural burial site (1993) to facilitate
environmentally sound funerals, called a ‘Return to Nature.’ This also created the ecocoffin market
:
Created the first ‘Funeral Advisory Service’ by offering free leaflets (32 no.) and the first
local authority to supply coffins for those desirous of ‘Family Arranged’ or ‘DIY’ funerals
:
Commissioned UK’s first re-usable coffin (1995) using ‘Compakta’ cardboard coffin
inside a solid wood casket, these now referred too as ‘coffin covers’
:
Design and commission UK’s first wool burial shroud (1995) for those opposed to using
a coffin
:
Introduced UK’s first ‘Environmental Cremation’ option (1995)
:
Began the first UK wreath recycling scheme, the work done by a Social Services special
needs training scheme for young people. The scheme was supported by the income
from old wreath frames sold back to the trade(1995)
:
Drafted first free ‘Advance Funeral Directive’ (1996) which was subsequently promoted
by the Natural Death Centre
:
Proposed, as newly elected IBCA President (1995), a Charter for the Bereaved, wrote
this in 72 pages and steered it through IBCA (1996) and appointed as Charter Organiser
until 2001
:
Proposed and drafted Charter Assessment Process (1997) to rank UK cemeteries &
crematoria and managed this scheme to 2001
:
Managed Carlisle Cemetery when it won the first “Cemetery of the Year” award by the
Memorial Advisory Board (MAB) & Confederation of Burial Authorities (CBA) in 1998
:
Gave evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee investigation into cemetery
provision (2000)
:
Convinced Carlisle Council, after years of lobbying, to create a ‘Development Fund’, into
which an annual sum was reserved for future needs. This was unique in the council and
has since allowed the service to remain one of the highest rated in the UK
CARDIFF:
:
Re-tendered the Cardiff Council Municipal Funeral Service to create the lowest
cremation cost in the UK (2003)
:
Informed by Home Office appointed consultant that the Cardiff Bereavement Services
Action Plan was the finest she had studied in the UK
CROYDON:
:
After years of prevarication by previous managers, introduced reclaimed graves in
Croydon Mitcham Road Cemetery in 2004. These remain (2013) the only graves
available in that area of London
:
Introduced and routinely managed ‘Know Your Funeral Rites (Rights)’ courses for the
public similar to those I provided in Carlisle & Cardiff
:
Designed and introduced a cremation shift process designed to complete a minimum
80% of cremations through a single unit whilst also reducing gas consumption and
emissions
:
Developed the UK’s first social contract for grounds maintenance with ‘The Shaw Trust’
(2005). The trust trained special needs youngsters and subsequently won many Britain
in Bloom awards
:
Prepared possibly the earliest ‘Pandemic Contingency Plan’ in 2006 and active in
London Resilience Group around this period
NON-WORK INITIATIVES:
I wrote a small number of articles for The Journal prior to 1980, and in that year the editor
offered me a permanent column called ‘Quarterpoint’, which I wrote for six years. I have also
written numerous articles and presented many papers to the IBCA & ICCM since that date and
up to the current time (2013). I have also chaired various IBCA branches beginning in the
1970’s and I was appointed to the IBCA Executive Council 1995 – 2001. I have also
represented the IBCA/ICCM on many occasions, mostly with regard to foetal remains, the
Charter, grave re-use, etc. In 2004 I also acted as keynote speaker at a seminar to launch
natural burial in Dublin, Eire. I also had a scathing article printed (2005) in the ICCM ‘The
Journal’ about the booklet published by English Heritage called ‘Paradise Preserved’. This
booklet was an adversely critical academic treatise which gave no recognition to the problems
faced by cemetery managers. I also submitted text called ‘Ecology’ for publication in the
‘Encyclopaedia of Cremation published in 2005.
POST 2006
:
Active consultancy on advising about natural burial grounds, maintenance, etc.
:
May 2006 – Address Memorial Advisory Board seminar at House of Commons on
‘Memorial Choice’, principally related to the need for sustainable cemeteries
:
Appointed as Cemetery of the Year judge in 2007 & 2008 (scheme then suspended)
:
2007 appointed Crematorium Technicians Training Scheme Assessor (to 2011)
:
Advisor to the Natural Death Centre (ceased July 2008)
:
Invited to join Advisory Group for ESRC research by Sheffield University 2007 – 2010
called ‘Back to nature? The Cultural, Social and Emotional Implications of Natural Burial’
:
Advisor to Natural Burial Company (USA) from 2007
:
2007 Awarded Best Article by ICCM ‘The Journal’ for ‘How Green is Your Funeral’. This
article subsequently published in the Funeral Service Journal in January 2008 and the
enclosed chart subsequently promoted by the Natural Death Centre and secular
celebrants under ‘Assessing the Environmental Impact of a Funeral’ and widely
accessed through the internet
:
2008 - Commissioned to complete Carbon Footprint questionnaire for cemeteries &
crematoria by the ICCM Trust. This included a ‘Cremator Efficiency Chart’ compiled in
2010 and now widely used to ensure efficient cremator use in order to reduce gas
consumption and emissions
:
2008 - Carlisle Cemetery featured as the daffodil centre of Cumbria in the magazine
‘Cumbria Life’ based on the Bulb Walk created by me in 1998
2008 - ICCM ‘The Journal’ published article called ‘Hazel Graves’ describing how to
utilise natural burial in existing urban cemeteries
:
:
2008 – Chair panel at Natural Death Centre ‘Green Funeral Exhibition’ in London
:
2009 – Invited onto Ministry of Justice advisory group, from which they publish ‘A
Guidance for Natural Burial Operators’ and credit me with creating the concept
:
2009 – Spend the year writing ‘A Guide to Natural Burial’ (at 146,000 words)
:
2009 – Filming with actor Richard Wilson for BBC at natural burial site in Newbury, and
subsequently transmitted on terrestrial television
:
2009 – Address Mayday Hospital Chaplaincy Group on funerals & bereavement issues
:
2010 – ‘A Guide to Natural Burial’ published by Shaw & Sons, just before they were
taken over by Sweet & Maxwell. Required to reduce manuscript to 110,000 words
:
2010 (March) – Address to seminar at termination of ESRC research project in Sheffield
on the natural burial site management desired by the Ministry of Justice
:
2010 – Article published in ICCM ‘The Journal’ called ‘Promatorium, Cryotorium or
Dispatoria’ about serious concerns over new alternatives to gas cremation
:
2010 (July) – Address to seminar at York on ‘Reducing Carbon’ in cemeteries &
crematoria
:
2010 (October) – Address Australian Cemetery & Crematorium Association (ACCA)
conference in Perth, South Australia on ‘Grave Concerns: The Case for Natural Burial’
:
2010 (December) First workshop delivered with consultant Dunn & Co at Warrington
called ‘Caring the Environment & Saving Costs’ (Glasgow & Sutton (London) delivered
in 2011)
:
2011 – Asked to endorse the book written by Douglas Davies & Hannah Rumble called
‘Natural Burial: Traditional – Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation’ which
referenced my own book on that subject
:
2011 – Most of year spent writing ‘R.I.P. Off: or The British Way of Death’, a black
humour novel about the period in which I introduced natural burial (published 2013?)
:
2012 – Article published in ICCM ‘The Journal’ called ‘Spiritual Funerals – naturally?
and comparing natural burial with the ‘waste’ process represented by cremation
:
2012 – Advising research students in New York & Sydney regarding their studies on
natural burial
:
2012 – Article published by ICCM ‘The Journal’ called ‘The Nature of Death’ and about
how medicine is protracting death and how this might influence funerals
:
2012 – Address attendees at public launch of the book ‘Natural Burial: Traditional –
Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation’ and the opening of Durham Woodland
Burial Park
:
2012 – Deliver address ‘To Be a Tree’ to British Humanist Celebrants Conference
:
2013 – Appointed advisor to Durham University Centre for Death and Life Studies