It all started with Mary
Hi there. My name is David McMillen, Managing Director at SpeedLink Repatriation. Many have asked, “How did SpeedLink get started transporting ashes – as it's not really a done thing. Is it?”
Well, back in July 2016 it was a hot summer in the UK. Despite the B2B courier market going into its quiet spell as it usually does in the summer, SpeedLink was still very busy. My mum – Mary – had been living back in the UK near me and my young family for close to 10 years, after having spent most of her adult life in Canada working as a nurse, midwife, and hospital administrator. Sadly, I lost my dear Mum that July. July the 13th. A day forever etched in my memory.
In the aftermath of mum's death, I thought it would be fitting to scatter her ashes back in Canada. We also had family in Northern Ireland and I wanted to have a bit of a send-off there too with them. So after having paid an eye-watering sum to a local funeral director, I had her ashes split and placed into 2 scatter tubes. I'll never forget my shock at seeing the same scatter tubes for sale on Amazon for about £20 when I was charged £120 each by the funeral directors. Equally shocking, I had to pay an additional £50 for a duplicate cremation certificate to the crematorium as mum’s ashes were now in two containers which required two documents. Yes, it wasn't a lot in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, I was mildly enraged at what appeared to be profiteering at a time when I was struggling to come to terms with losing my mum.
Next came the question: “How do I get her ashes to Canada? And then the other half to Ireland?” No one, and I mean no one, could give me any sensible answers on costs, regulations, and what I needed to do. Everyone I spoke to was all over the place with rules, regulations, charges and what really was pure nonsense.
That's when my wife Joanne and I looked at each other and almost said in unison – “We're running a specialist courier service. Why aren't we doing this?”
So, we did our research. We found out what the requirements were and what you could and couldn’t do. And that was it. Mary, my dear mum, was our first repatriation client.
A few months on, as I sat on the banks of the Fraser River in British Columbia, watching her ashes slowly mix with the water and peacefully flow away, I couldn't help but think of that funeral director that “looked after” us. And that clerk at the crematorium that helpfully printed two of the exact same pieces of paper, rather than one for an extra 50 quid. I thought, “How dare they?” How dare they profiteer from someone who feels like they are coming apart with grief?
I resolved then and there, back home on the banks of the Fraser River, that I have to help people in a similar situation. I want to help people from being taken advantage of.
Looking to the future
Since Mum passed away and we scattered her ashes in Canada and Ireland, SpeedLink has helped to deliver and repatriate over 400 people’s ashes across the UK and the world. Often, SpeedLink's charges are less than half that of traditional air freight forwarders, and sometimes, only a third of the cost. In fact, SpeedLink can repatriate ashes from the UK to over 170 countries worldwide with prices starting at under a £1000.00 – door-to-door.
This represents a paradigm shift in the repatriation industry.
Offering bereaved families the opportunity to make a start at coming to terms with their loss when they receive their loved ones remains, particularly when they are not able to travel with them themselves, and to achieve this for thousands less that what a funeral director or freight forwarder would normally charge, gives me a profound sense of satisfaction. I was there. I can relate to your sense of loss. I felt the anger when I was being taken advantage of. I know how you are feeling.
SpeedLink Repatriation is focused on reducing the cost and complication in transporting cremated remains whether it's across town, the country or to the farthest reaches of the globe. We have transported ashes from Australia to Zimbabwe and many, many points in between. I have personally placed ashes into the hands of many grateful people in airports, on doorsteps, and street corners from England to China to Arizona – many places across Asia, Europe, and North America.
To find out how SpeedLink Repatriation can help you courier ashes, please reach out to us on +44 1252 786 015 from the UK or toll free 1-877-238-9810 from Canada and the US, or simply fill in the form on this website. Either myself – David McMillen – or one of my caring team will work with you to put together an ashes repatriation service that meets your needs and budget.
Kindest regards,
Dave (and Mum.)
