Avalon’s founder Mike Cooper will retain a minority stake in the company and is looking forward to the future growth and progression of Avalon.

Mike Cooper stated, “Having driven this business from a standing start over the last 20 years it was important to me to see it move on to the next stage of growth. Over the last few years we have doubled turnover and I have developed an excellent management team.

“In Lonsdale I know that the business has found an excellent financial partner and I look forward to watching the continued success of Avalon.”

Lonsdale has installed Steve Chambers as chief executive of Avalon, previously chief commercial officer at Yell Group. 

Steve Chambers commented, “Having run a sizeable sales force in the past, I am delighted to be given the opportunity to apply some of my skills and experience to this business.”

Avalon are proud to provide funeral plans via a professional and dedicated direct sales team and has a range of plans which are tailored to customer’s individual requirements. Plans can be paid for upfront as a lump sum or via a flexible instalment plan.

You can see more on the Lonsdale investment here:

http://www.lonsdalepartners.com/latest-news/all-news.php

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/deals/s/1594953_lonsdale-capital-partners-acquires-majority-stake-in-avalon

http://www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk/index.php/news/economy/706-avalon-funeral-plan-providers-reveal-expansive-plans-after-take-over.html

It seems that many people begin to think about the unfortunate inevitability earlier in life and look to relieve the worries and stress for both themselves and their family members.

Although funeral plans are mostly bought by those over fifty, at a younger age, planning your funeral can be more cost effective than purchasing a plan later in life.

At Avalon we will fix your funeral price at today’s levels so the longer you live the more you will save against the rising costs. It doesn’t matter whether you live for another 50 years or how much costs grow in the future.      

By seeking information at an earlier age you can calmly make choices and tailor your plan to suit your needs. Our customers can relax and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with planning in advance.

Our under 50′s plan accepts people of any age from 18-49, with no medical or health questions asked and no declaration of health needed.

For information on our Under 50′s Plan please visit: http://www.avalonfuneralplans.com/uk-plans

If you would like information on plans for under 18’s then please contact one of our advisors on 0161 486 2020

From pink fluffy coffins, vicars dressed as Elvis and leprechauns for pall bearers, we have handled and achieved the most bizarre demands imaginable.

Many of our members also request items to be buried with, the most popular choices being photos of loved ones, religious artefacts and cuddly toys.  However some of the more unusual requests noted have been for mobile phones, iPads, alcohol and food – one gentleman asked to be buried with a Dominos pizza.

At Avalon our members always come first and we will try our best to fulfil the most bizarre and unusual wishes possible.

If you are interested in receiving information on Avalon Funeral Plans or would like to discuss any concerns, then please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Sales Advisors on 0161 486 2020 or visit http://avalonfuneralplans.com/ 

Pivotal to the expansion of this new and exciting venture is Tim Skiton, our new Operations Manager for Coste Del Sol. Tim is already making his mark, which follows an illustrious career in telecoms; spending the last 12 years developing and expanding successful businesses in Spain.

Here at Avalon we’ve helped thousands of people prepare for the future and, of course, the inevitable. And by doing so we’ve given every one of them the peace of mind that comes from knowing that everything is taken care of here in Spain.

If you or a loved one live in Spain and would like more information about purchasing an Avalon Funeral Plan then please feel free to contact our European Helpline on  Tel. + 34 966 799 070 or visit http://avalonfuneralplans.com/european-plans/spain

Pre-paid funeral plans have been on the increase, especially over the last 7 years where there is an increased prominence and focus on end of life planning, from both a financial and control aspect (in other words provisioning for loved one’s being left behind).

It is interesting to see the same pattern develop around the country, both in the UK, and Europe, where Avalon Funeral Plans have a huge presence.

A recent Facebook conversation between one Middle Tennessee 30 something and her friends began, “I’ve compiled a list of songs I want sung at my funeral. That’s normal, right?” The response was, “Absolutely.”

Others chimed in about funeral plans of their own. One woman had a song list stuck in a Reader’s Digest Home Improvement book along with a handwritten will. Another man noted a Word document on his computer saved as “Alpha & Omega” that details his funeral requests. A third person responded that she already picked out caskets made by monks in a monastery.

The moment a person starts thinking about his or her own mortality varies greatly, but there’s something about being in your 30’s and 40’s that makes it seem more real. Perhaps it is noticing aging parents begin to slow down. Maybe it’s the time when friends start regularly dealing with significant disease. Or it could be a wedding or the birth of a child that makes people feel the need to create wills and make funeral plans.

Whatever the impetus, dealing with mortality, at least in small measure, is something encroaching on middle age inspires people to do.

With advance planning, families can create celebrations of life as unique as the individual being remembered while arranging a special service that reflects individual wishes.

“I love James 4:14, which reminds me that we have no idea what could happen tomorrow,” said Carrie Brock, the 33-year-old Nashville mother of four who initiated the Facebook post about funeral songs.

“So, while I don’t want to dwell on the ‘what if’s,’ I want to live life to its fullest”.

At Avalon, you fix the price at today’s rate as soon as the funeral plan is taken out, whilst also taking control of all the necessary arrangements. This leaves you free to get on with enjoying the rest of your life, in the safe knowledge that you will no longer be leaving any burden behind for your loved ones. Visit http://avalonfuneralplans.com/ or contact our head office on 0161 486 2020 for more information on Avalon plans.

You can see more on this issue here:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120906/LIFE01/309060012/Funeral-planning-gets-personal-younger-generation?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1

Avalon have commissioned an internal review of such publications to note the downfall of a long terms insurance policy against a pre-paid funeral plan. An interesting summary can be defined as follows…

Too many older people are losing as much as £3000 each from plans that were designed to cover the entire cost of their funeral.

We’ve all seen the TV advertising; with one featuring a well know celebrity and the promise of a ‘free Parker pen’ for taking out a “funeral plan”.

Some funeral plans pay a guaranteed lump sum of about £1500 to your next family if you save, for example, £10 a month until you die or turn 90.

But experts are warning that unless you die within a few years, your family could end up receiving less than you originally paid into the policy.  Avalon has in fact seen some cases where customers pay in excess of £7,000 for such funeral plans.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive at consumer champion Which, says: ‘For most people, over-50s funeral plans are incredibly bad value. ‘They’re inflexible and, for the majority of customers, they will pay out far less than you have paid in.’

Funeral plans, also known as guaranteed over-50s plans or whole of life policies, are massive revenue earners for insurance companies and this has been widely covered in the press of late.

Last year, 474,000 people took out a guaranteed whole of life contract, a 10% increase on the year before, according to trade body the Association of British Insurers. The average cost of a funeral is £3,500 — and this does not include flowers, special requests, food and drinks or buying a plot of land — and all of these costs are rising with inflation.

At Avalon, you fix the price at today’s rate as soon as the funeral plan is taken out. This is a fixed cost funeral plan and once paid, it is paid.  There are no continual premiums to pay once the total cost of the plan has been achieved. We also guarantee to meet the cost of the funeral in full, so whatever the future cost is, you will not pay any more as we safeguard your funds in our secure trust fund.

Visit http://avalonfuneralplans.com/ or contact our head office on 0161 486 2020 for more information on Avalon Funeral Plans.

You can see more on this issue here:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/investing/article-2144865/The-funeral-plans-pay-youve-saved-die.html

John Shepherd joins the company as sales director. The 42-year-old has 20 years’ experience in sales, having worked as senior vice president at Aon Corporation – a provider of risk management services and insurance – in the UK and Europe. John will now drive Avalon’s expansion across Europe, as well as consolidating the UK’s mature market through a direct sales platform.

Avalon has quadrupled its sales force in the last year and John is tasked with increasing this by a further 150 per cent in the next twelve months.

Commenting on his new role, John said: “I’m looking forward to working with such a well established company. Avalon’s plan for growth in the European market means this is a crucial time for the business and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Jason Gardner, 37, joins the company as operations director, bringing with him more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Having previously worked at Key Retirement Solutions, where he gained specific insight in the grey market, Jason will now manage Avalon’s three operation sites in Wilmslow, Essex and Spain.

Financial director Mark Dugdale previously worked with a variety of highly regarded organisations, including LBC Corporate Finance, Red Squared and TopJobs.net. His financial management experience with fast-growing SMEs will be utilised in his new role with Avalon Funeral Plans.

Mike Cooper, managing director at Avalon, said: “The company is going from strength to strength and these latest appointments build on the success that Avalon has had over the last few months. John, Jason and Mark bring a wealth of experience with them and they’ll play a significant role in the continued growth of the business.”

The appointments come just weeks after Avalon announced its latest, ground-breaking funeral plan. The Compendium Plan will enable funeral directors to offer their own funeral plan service, allowing them to sell secure, bespoke plans with complete peace of mind about financial reimbursement.

According to a new survey by Avalon Funeral Plans, almost a quarter of people who’ve moved to sunnier climes admit to pining for the occasional rain shower.

A decent cuppa topped the poll of things expatriates longed for. 27 per cent of those surveyed said they craved a well-made cup of tea and would prefer a brew to a piña colada any day.

The research, which identified the top 10 items Brits miss about their former homeland, uncovered some surprising results.

Only nine per cent of expats said they missed their family the most. The poll ranked loved ones at number four – behind the traditional Sunday roast, which came third.

Mike Cooper, managing director at Avalon Funeral Plans, commented: “The saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’ certainly seems to apply here! Who would’ve thought that people would miss a bit of rain more than their family when they move abroad?”

Eight per cent of respondents yearned for a pint in their former local, with 160 people stating that a night back in their old drinking hole would be their idea of heaven.

Ranking near the bottom of the list was the soap opera. Five per cent of expats said they missed watching their favourite British TV shows, while Heinz beans was revealed as the taste of home for nearly 100 people.

Mike continued: “We work closely with many people who’ve decided to retire overseas and it’s the happiest time of their lives – but the results of this survey just go to show that you can take the person out of Britain, but you can’t take Britain out of the person!”

Avalon recently launched the Paradise Plan specifically for Brits looking to retire overseas. The plan provides dual certification at a fixed rate of £3,495. It covers customers with a plan of equal value in key destinations including Spain, Portugal, Turkey or Cyprus.

For more information, visit http://www.avalonfuneralplans.com/

The funeral plan company will be working alongside a team of consultants from PKF’s Manchester offices, which are based in the city’s Spinningfields district.

Commenting on the appointment, Mike Cooper, managing director of Avalon, said: “PKF has a strong track record in advising businesses that are owned and managed by entrepreneurs. We have already built a successful relationship with the team and look forward to the work ahead.”

He continued: “The last 12 months have been characterised by rapid expansion in the sales team and investment in new markets – we expect to see a significant increase in the company’s turnover as a result.”

The PKFI network has over 245 member firms and correspondents in 440 locations in around 125 countries, providing accounting and business advisory services. PKFI member firms have around 2,200 partners and more than 21,000 staff. PKFI is a network member of the Forum of Firms, an organisation dedicated to consistent and high quality standards of financial reporting and auditing practices worldwide.

Avalon Provides Art Funding for local schools

Funeral plan providers Avalon have sponsored two Manchester schools to take part in the Royal Exchange Theatre’s education programme. The project enables students from Copley High School in Tameside and Lostock College in Trafford to see top calibre plays and attend pre-show workshops at two performances of ‘Powder Monkey’ and ‘As You Like It.

As well as encouraging a through exploration of the plays, the workshops will provide the children who would otherwise have very limited access to the arts, with important learning aids. Marla Cunningham, development director at the Royal Exchange Theatre said: “We have been able to deliver some top quality drama material to pupils from the two schools thanks to Avalon’s funding. First-hand experience is the best way to really capture kids’ interest in drama, so this project is absolutely fantastic for their educational development.”

“We’re highly committed to supporting our community and this sponsorship is part of our pledge to make a real difference in the local area. Without this programme, many of these children would have very limited access to arts. We’re keen to foster links with local organisations, like the Royal Exchange Theatre, that can help support our goals to deliver enriching initiatives and experiences for the local community.”

Mike Cooper, managing director at Avalon Funeral Plans, said it was “a pleasure” to be able to provide access for local school children. “I know how much pleasure a trip to theatre can bring, and the work the Royal Exchange Theatre does to educate kids about the arts is invaluable.