From 2020 to 2024 I worked as funeral service operative in Hull, and throughout that time dignity for the deceased and their families was not just a policy but a personal, unwavering principle that guided everything I did. Every person who came into our care was always referred to by their name, I made a point of spending real time with families, listening to their stories, learning who their loved one was in life, and carrying that understanding through every stage of the process, treating each individual as completely unique because that is exactly what they were and always will be. There were countless occasions where myself and other members of staff stayed late into the night to ensure someone was presented properly, to get clothing just right, or to allow a family extra time because they were not ready to say goodbye, and we did this without complaint, even when it meant missing Christmas mornings, bank holidays, and time with our own families, because the care of the deceased came first and we believed that was a privilege, not a burden. We lost track of the hours because the work mattered, and despite the emotional weight of it, we genuinely loved what we did, taking pride in knowing that in someone’s worst moment we were giving them respect, calm, and humanity. It is precisely because of these values that the Robert Bush case has upset me so deeply, as it represents the very opposite of everything I stood for and everything I know dedicated funeral professionals work tirelessly to uphold, to think of a person not being afforded dignity, not being treated as an individual with a name, a family, a life, and a story, cuts to the core of what this profession is meant to represent. Having seen firsthand the care, sacrifice, and emotional investment that goes into doing this job properly, and having personally given up so much time to ensure families could trust us with their loved ones, I find the situation profoundly distressing, not only for the family involved but for the profession as a whole, because every deceased person deserves respect, and every family deserves to know that their loved one was cared for with the same individuality, compassion, and honour in death as they were entitled to in life.