Funeral director William Purves has marked its 135th anniversary this month.
Established in 1888 by a cabinetmaker turned undertaker from the Borders, it is today the largest independent funeral business in Scotland, having recorded more than 100,000 funerals since 1927.
The family-owned business has passed through five generations and comprises a team of more than 100 staff across 25 branches in Scotland and north east England.
It is also part owners of crematoria and a stonemason in the Borders.
Several of these branches have been acquired by William Purves, including Wood & Hay in Haddington and a number of Borders-based, family-owned businesses.
The legacy brands, coupled with those opened in Peebles and St Andrews, have been invested in, with new jobs created.
The firm has been involved in many high-profile funeral services, including that of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and more recently of firefighter Barry Martin, who died in the Jenners department store fire earlier this year.
Tim Purves, chairman of William Purves and descendant to the founder, said: “For 135 years, William Purves has been at the vanguard of funeral innovation, always rising to the challenges of the times.
“Including the rise in cremation services, the growing use of funeral tech, and most recently the hardship of the Covid-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.
“It is a mark of the business’ success that we have modernised and adapted, while retaining the key values of compassion, integrity, dedication, and respect on which William Purves was built.”
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