THE MANAGING director of Hickton Family Funeral Directors has been elected president of the SAIF, the UK’s largest trade association for independent funeral businesses and their suppliers.
Ross Hickton runs the company which has been caring for bereaved people since 1909 and has a Kidderminster funeral home based on Lisle Avenue.
It serves people and families in Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley.
Ross is passionate about promoting the benefits offered by traditional funeral directing firms in an age where ‘no-frills send-offs’ are being heavily marketed by online providers.
Replacing outgoing SAIF president Declan Maguire, Ross formally took on the role at SAIF’s AGM weekend in Glasgow from April 4 to 6.
He will serve in the role for one year.
Whitley Bay funeral director Gary Staker was elected SAIF first vice president and Paul Sillett, of Bury, became second vice president.
The event attracted hundreds of funeral directors from across the UK.
The president’s pledges
Ross has pledged to focus on three themes during his presidency – direct cremation, regulation and future-proofing family-run funeral companies.
He said these were the biggest challenges facing SAIF members today – but they also present opportunities to innovate and modernise.
“On direct cremation, I want to see some standardisation across our membership and a real effort to educate the public about what an unattended funeral means in terms of grief journeys and family conflicts,” he explained.
“Like many independent funeral directors, we offer direct cremation but our trained staff are there to ensure families understand exactly what it entails.
“I’m concerned that this guidance and advice isn’t available with predominantly online providers and this is something I’m keen to address.”
On regulation, he said SAIF would be looking to work with the government to support members’ journeys to achieving compliance and consistently high standards.
“In becoming a regulated profession, funeral directors will have a golden opportunity to strengthen public trust and secure their future.”
And he said, in the coming year, he would be pushing for more partnerships with innovative suppliers and schemes to help family-run funeral firms remain in private hands and to make education more accessible.
SAIF CEO Terry Tennens said Ross’ presidency represented a continuation of the association’s modernisation trend in recent years.
The history of Hickton
Hickton Family Funeral Directors was founded by Joe Hickton, a carpenter, builder and one-time mayor of Rowley Regis.
The business now has seven funeral home branches across the West Midlands and Worcestershire, along with a thriving stone masonry business based in Dudley.
Ross will be supported by his brother and sister, who are also heavily involved with the business, while he is president.
Ross’ charity of choice for his presidential year is Prostate Cancer UK, a cause close to the heart of the family after they lost their dad, and third generation of the funeral business, Trevor Hickton, to cancer in September 2024.
