Who We Are
Everyone relies on a funeral director to bring sensitivity, knowledge and compassion to funeral arrangements, and these are the key qualities of RPB Funerals Ltd, an independently owned and managed funeral directors. RPB Funerals Ltd was formed by Roger P Byrom and his wife, Paula, following the purchase of the two funeral homes from the Co-op: L Clarke & Sons and Dafforn & Son. In 2018 we opened our third office, R P Byrom & Son in Barnstaple, this was as a result of serving an increasing number of families in the area.
Roger has been involved in the funeral industry since 1997 and was joined by his son, Chris, in 2010. Roger and Chris are both Braunton boys, Roger going to school at Caen Street Primary and then onto the Braunton Comprehensive (as it was known back then) and Chris going to the Kingsacre Primary School and then onto the Braunton School and Community College.
Roger started his time in the funeral industry by working with local independent funeral homes and in 2001 started at L Clarke & Sons when it was owned by the Co-op. In this time Roger gained a Diploma in Funeral Directing, he became an Assessor within the Co-op training programme and worked with the company's Standards Department, so giving him a wide knowledge of the industry. Chris is an active member of the business and his knowledge and skills in the funeral industry are growing, as he has gained a Diploma with the British Institute of Embalmers.
Roger is very much committed to the local community. For much of his childhood and adult life, Roger has been involved with the local scout group; in addition, he has been involved in the North Devon Scout and Guide Gangshow where he was stage crew for many years and was Treasurer for eight years; in total he was involved in the Gangshow for over 35 years. Also, for the last 11 years, Roger has been an active member of the local Rotary Club in Braunton Caen (the newer one).
Chris has not sat around, he was also in the Scout movement and after finishing college he went to Scotland for two years to train as an outward bound instructor for a Christian charity. He is living in Barnstaple with his wife, where they play an active role in the local church. You may also see them around the area walking or on the Taw and Torridge estuary taking part in pilot gig rowing.
As a company, we believe in being regulated. With this in mind, we are proud to be members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). As members, our funeral homes undergo inspection of all our premises, policies and procedures, every couple of years to ensure the highest standards are being met. We now proudly display membership certificates in our offices.
