R Banks & Son Funerals Ltd

13/02/2026

10/02/2026

We’ve got some brilliant news to share.

Genice has been with us just over three years, starting her journey as a mobile arranger back in January 2023. Since day one, she’s worked her socks off, gone above and beyond, and shown exactly what determination and commitment look like.

We’re incredibly proud to announce that Genice is being promoted to Funeral Director at our newly opened funeral home in Westhoughton. This is a huge step and one that is so well deserved.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Genice is just about to sit her exams for the Certificate in Funeral Arranging and Administration – a two-year course that she has absolutely smashed in just nine months. Once completed, she’ll be moving straight on to her Diploma in Funeral Directing.

This is what hard work, focus, and belief in yourself can achieve. Genice, you’ve earned every bit of this and we couldn’t be prouder to have you representing our team and our values.

Please join us in congratulating her on this amazing achievement – the future is very bright.

08/02/2026

This morning, MD Carina Halliwell Jones, Director Jennifer Halliwell, and Funeral Director Manager Nicola Disley attended Mass at St Patrick’s in Scholes, which was offered for the late Brian Halliwell.

We are incredibly grateful to Father Paul for such a thoughtful and meaningful dedication. It was deeply touching to see how fondly Brian is still remembered and spoken of, and to feel the warmth and respect the community continues to hold for him.

Moments like these are a powerful reminder of the lasting impact one life can have, and we are truly thankful for the kindness shown today.

06/02/2026

Chris Mather has been part of the R Banks family for 8 years, and in that time has become one of those people who just quietly gets on with everything. Often found in the workshop crafting coffins with real care and pride, Chris also never thinks twice about a long-distance drive to bring a loved one safely into our care. Reliable, steady, and always up for a laugh, he’s the kind of colleague everyone’s glad to have alongside them.

A proud husband, dad and grandad, Chris loves his football, darts and the occasional cheeky bet (emphasis on occasional… allegedly). He’s also a genuine country gentleman at heart, with a real love for horses and the great outdoors. When he’s not working, he’s just as happy baking something impressive, flying his drone for a bit of photography, or adding to his collection of tattoos — each one with a story, no doubt.

And while he might be, by his own admission, a bit of a stupid boy at times, it’s very much in the way that makes everyone smile — the sort of daftness that keeps spirits up and teams close.

Hard-working, big-hearted and quietly hilarious, Chris brings warmth, dedication and just the right amount of mischief to R Banks every single day — and he’s someone we genuinely wouldn’t want to be without.