On 24 March, De Boskamp Funeral Centre & Crematorium organised its first Open Evening. Many visitors came for the extensive guided tour. Reactions were extremely positive.
The need is there
Alex de Fretes, general assistant at De Boskamp Funeral Centre & Crematorium, looked after one group of visitors: “People approached me very directly this evening. They had personal wishes they wanted to discuss, or questions that had been bothering them for some time. I truly noticed a need for evenings like this, a time to discuss matters in an open conversation, in peace. Both visitors and ourselves went home feeling satisfied.”
Very diverse
“It was a very diverse crowd”, says Sietse de Vries, site manager. “There was one gentleman who asked a number of critical questions about our facilities. During our conversation it transpired his wife is ill and that he was obtaining information. He thanked me for the sense of peace I was able to give him during his quest. Other visitors were here just because they were curious about De Boskamp and one of them was a trainee funeral director who wanted to know how we work.”
Sietse de Vries is very satisfied with how the evening went: “We didn’t know what to expect, but it has been tremendously valuable. The set-up of the event in particular, small and informal, created a very pleasant experience. People immediately felt at ease and were not afraid to ask questions. It was very useful for us too. It enabled us to get personal accounts from people, and to learn about their wishes and uncertainties. This is certainly not the last Open Evening we’ll be organising!”