SAIF Golden Charter

A growing partnership

The Partnership Podcast has entered its third year and is reaching more Independents than ever.

Featuring short, incisive 15-minute interviews with people close to the funeral profession, the podcast is available on any device just by going to goldencharter.buzzsprout.com, or on most podcast apps.

With all 36 episodes available online, host Malcolm Flanders says its longevity is down to the topics it covers and its willingness to follow funeral directors’ current interests.

Malcolm said: “It’s not called the Partnership Podcast for nothing: our audience is made up of independent funeral directors. They’re the only people we make the episodes for, and the goal is to cover the issues that matter most to them at any given time.

“This can mean homing in on one big issue, like it did for the FCA regulation mini-series we broadcast initially in 2021. But it also means touching on a variety of subjects. We know Independents are business owners who have a lot more on their plate than just funeral planning. That’s why I end every episode with an invite to get in touch and suggest a topic – and funeral directors have taken me up on that.”

It also means speaking to a wide variety of guests. In 2021, the podcast spoke to educators, clergy, coffin manufacturers, Golden Charter staff, and both of Scotland’s Inspectors of Funeral Directors.

“But our bread and butter is speaking to the funeral directors themselves,” says Malcolm. “Independents make up most of our guests, and sometimes we’ll bring a funeral director in alongside another guest, like when we brought Jim Auld into a conversation with the Church of England to get both sides’ views on how their relationship works.”

The regulation mini-series which ran from October to December 2021 featured interviews with independent funeral directors, and it proved to be the podcast’s most popular run to date, racking up 600-plus downloads.

Malcolm said: “Those listens add up over time because the topics we talk about stay relevant. October’s first episode, where we spoke to our Director of Compliance, has all sorts of information and guidance that will be relevant right up to July if not beyond.

“The whole archive stays online: this year we’ve actually still been getting downloads of our first ever episode, and that first came out in 2019. Clearly people are finding these topics stay relevant over the years.”

He added: “It’s about having a civilised conversation around a topic of relevance and interest to other funeral directors. Recording the episode over Teams means I can talk to people wherever they are in the UK, so it really is straightforward for any funeral director to get involved.”

Upcoming episodes will continue to touch on regulation and wider issues. The latest have featured digital support, research and insights into families, and of course dealing with the move to FCA plan regulation.

The full Partnership Podcast back catalogue can be found at goldencharter.buzzsprout.com, and you can contact Malcolm with any thoughts for future editions.