Following a busy few weeks, I spent last weekend relaxing in front of the TV. After all, when else is there such a legitimate reason for a movie night after eating your weight in Easter eggs?
After the initial indecisiveness that comes along with choosing something on Netflix, I finally settled on 'You've Got Mail'.
A classic Pride-and-Prejudice plot with a virtual twist, Meg Ryan is Kathleen Kelly, the second-generation owner of 'The Shop Around The Corner', a children's specialist bookshop she inherited from her late mother.
Tom Hanks, on the other hand, is Joe Fox, owner of 'Fox Books', a large chain of soulless book megastores.
While Kathleen and her loyal staff read all the books, know all the customers, and provide a full service, Joe is only interested in profit margins.
When Joe's new megastore opens up just around the corner from Kathleen's shop, it's only a matter of time until both characters are at loggerheads and the small independent store is forced out of business.
Fast-forward an hour and, in typical rom-com style, they eventually fall in love and live happily ever after.
Watching the film, however, I couldn't help but draw comparisons between Kathleen Kelly and that of the independent funeral director.
If you've ever roamed your local high-street, you'll no doubt have come across boarded up butchers, bakers and fruit shops.
But in an age where many businesses are being forced to close, Golden Charter is championing independent funeral directors.
And unlike the fate of 'The Shop Around The Corner', independent funeral directors are leading the way.
Working with a network of more than 3,300 independent funeral directors throughout the UK, Golden Charter is helping them to safeguard their future against larger conglomerate competitors by providing marketing resources and support.
Some of the oldest funeral directors in Britain are locally owned family firms, so carrying on with tradition is simply a way of life.
Using the expertise gained from generations of experience, independent funeral directors provide guidance, support, care and outstanding personal service to the communities in which they operate.
After all, it takes a special kind of person to be a funeral director.
Weaving together the colourful threads of the life that has ended, expressing the true nature of the person and giving voice to the loss felt by those who loved them, funeral directors play an extremely important role in helping to bind together families at their greatest time of need.
Golden Charter funeral plans are accepted by more local funeral directors than any other, giving you complete confidence that you have the widest possible choice of funeral director.
By choosing an independent family funeral director, you can be assured of a truly local and personal service.
