Expansion of services planned as funeral director C E Fuller & Co of Soham merges with Peasgood & Skeates

Two family-owned Cambridgeshire funeral directors who have been caring for local bereaved people for more than a century have announced a merger.

C E Fuller & Co, in Hall Street, Soham, has partnered with Peasgood & Skeates, which has branches in Cambridge, Duxford, Haverhill, Sawston and Saffron Walden.

And plans to refurbish C E Fuller & Co’s premises have been announced, which will involve expanding the facilities for care of the deceased and the creation of a new service chapel at the three-acre site, with parking for families.

C E Fuller & Co will retain the family name that has become trusted by the Soham community and beyond.

Proprietor Marie Brown said: “My late husband Tony and I have been running the family funeral business in Soham, with my parents in law, Reg and Anita Brown since inheriting it from Anita’s father since 1964, with our family association stretching back to 1915.”

Marie’s husband Tony died at a young age and a few years ago Anita’s husband Reg died.

Led by Marie, C E Fuller & Son has continued to serve the community through a challenging period.

She said: “Funerals and the economic landscape are changing fast and it’s vital that businesses respond to new challenges and seize opportunities. But in the meantime, it is very much business as usual as we plan our refurbishment and continue to support our local community with the traditional values of service and care. I’m confident that our merger with Peasgood & Skeates is really good news for Soham.

Seán Martin, head of operations at Peasgood & Skeates, added: “We’re very pleased to be working with Marie and are excited about what we are going to achieve in Soham.

“Our two businesses have developed a strong bond in recent years, having supported each other through the challenging period of the pandemic and we are all passionate about ensuring local families have a choice of using a family-owned funeral director when the time comes. This merger will enable exactly that. It’s fantastic news.”

C E Fuller & Co’s origins can be traced back to 1868 when local builder, carpenter and wheelwright George Shaw offered undertaking services from Hall Street.

In the early 20th century, the company changed hands to Cecil Fuller and Herbert Johnson and became known as Fuller and Johnson.

Its name changed to Cecil E Fuller following the death in 1938 of Herbert. Marie is Cecil’s granddaughter-in-law.

Peasgood & Skeates’ roots, meanwhile, go back to 1847, when small wheelwright and general carpenter James Day began offering funeral arrangements to family and close friends.

On his retirement, James transferred the business to Herbert Peasgood.

The business became Peasgood & Skeates in 2012 when it merged with Duxford family business R Skeates Funeral Directors, founded in the 1960s.