Ashes To Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer

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King makes you consider the pros and cons of age. Referring to one of her people ‘ She had evidently, at 99 years old, outlived everyone. A downside to longevity that people sometimes don’t consider, and something that is striven for blindly in our life-at-all-costs culture.’ This really jumped out at me, as I often feel that people focus on lifespan and not the value and quality of life we have. Another criticism put forward by Woodthorpe is the notion of ‘loved ones’ - not everyone is loved and not everyone is on good terms with their so-called ‘loved ones’. This challenge is also present in Ashes to Admin, some people fall under Section 46 because they have fallen out with their ‘loved ones’. Ashes to Admin lifts the coffin lid on some moving and unexpected personal life stories. Sometimes tragic, as with the case of an unidentified woman found on a beach buried without even a name, but often uplifting and occasionally hilarious. Death is something we all have in common so I'm always up for a book about it and this one (obviously) has it in (gravedigger) spades. It's a poignant, sometimes difficult, bizarre, and yet incredibly uplifting read. Evie King is a council worker charged with sorting out Section 46 funerals - funerals for those with no one or no one able or willing to do so on their behalf. Alongside dealing with the standard complaints we expect the council to deal with (bin collections, noise, dog poo, etc), she sees humanity, life, and death in all its strangeness. It's a job that encompasses plenty of persistent detective work, grief counseling, the obvious (and not so obvious) admin, and a tonne of empathy.

I found the author's attitude to dying to be positively infectious, so the book has probably had a lasting impact on the ways in which I think about death and dying, as well as making the most out of living. What happens if you die without family or money? The answer to this very three-in-the-morning question is that Evie, or someone like her, will step in and arrange your funeral. In Ashes to Admin, Evie shows, however, that very few people aren’t loved, but that mourners can take various shapes. The effect of people’s deaths can ripple far beyond the stereotypical expectation of family: Evie King is the pen name of Christina Martin. She is a former stand up comedian and a part-time writer. She has always written short form pieces, in the margins of her various day jobs, contributing to New Humanist, Guardian Comment is Free, BBC Comedy and Viz Comic. Since moving to the seaside and going part-time she has had more time for writing which has accumulated in Ashes to Admin.History Makers: Female Writers Dominate the 2023 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award Shortlist The author instils the stories of those who have received a Section 46 Council funeral with a level of humour which makes what at times can be quite an emotional read also a very funny one. The promoter, venue management and DesignMyNight accept no responsibility for any personal property. Imagine having that sentence said to you. And then imagine it actually being pertinent. Welcome to Evie King's world. It is incredibly uplifting to read the stories of people who, on the outset, look like they have nobody left in the world to care about them, transform into people with well-attended funerals which many might envy. That transformation is often the result of the work of a council worker like Evie in really caring about those who land in her work in-tray; researching, making phone calls, trawling social media and the deceased's home for clues as to who they are and the people who filled their universe in life.

Evie King, former comedian and a part-time writer. King has previously contributed to New Humanist, Guardian Comment is Free, BBC Comedy and Viz Comic. She clearly cares for her 'clients' and represents an ideal of how such cases should be conducted. You can't fault her personal passion and commitment. There's plenty to learn in this gently uplifting book. Some of Evie King's cases will make you cry, others will make you angry, and some will make you smile - or even *laugh*. Above all, there's nothing morbid or depressing about this book - unless you count the behaviour and attitudes of some of the deceaseds' family members.When few details are known about the deceased, King then embarks on a search for any existing family, friends, colleagues, documentation, etc who can shed light on the dead person's life and thereby help her to tailor the funeral service to what the deceased would have liked, or what seems the most appropriate and pleasing. Where this becomes impossible is when either the deceased has no apparent family or their identity is unknown. This is where King comes into her own, setting out on a mission to find out whatever she can about them, using all the means at her disposal and some inspired methods of her own. She doesn't always succeed, but it's heartening to see the lengths to which she goes and the effort she puts in. Ultimately, Evie discovers that her job is more about life than it is about death, funerals being for the living and death being merely a trigger to rediscover a life and celebrate it against the odds. Ashes to Admin’ lifts the coffin lid on those extraordinary personal stories that have been so often left unheard. King brings us face-to-face with these unusual circumstances that touch on life and death together in unexpected ways. From tragic stories like an unidentified woman found on a beach without even her name being recorded, to uplifting tales that illustrate the beauty of celebrating someone’s life against all odds; this remarkable book promises readers an insight into fulfilling a job they may not have heard of before. We were up on the cliff edge on a stormy night, even though the weather would have been fine at the time of year she died, nice bit of pathetic fallacy from my subconscious there.”

Recommended Reads about Race, Racism, and Demarginalizing History - Necessary Non-fiction You Should Read for Life-changing Insights and Impact King talks about her early days in the job, and with each case, we see her expertise and knowledge developing and growing. She learns how to become immune to the "smell of death" to maggots in months'-old food and, in the process, realises that she possesses a talent for organising respectful funerals for the dispossessed dead.

A compelling read from Evie, articulate and insightful. I’m sure the personal stories of her ‘people’ will stay with me. Some lessons in there too…. In this talk, Evie lifts the coffin lid on the world of a council funeral officer, a job that lurches from the legislative and administrative, via the workaday and practical, right through to the emotional and existential. Her stories are sometimes tragic, as with the case of an unidentified woman found on a beach buried without even a name, but often uplifting and occasionally hilarious. the author is a fantastic narrator and the perfect person to guide us through this book, the emotional parts and the funny anecdotes too. In Ashes to Admin, Evie King shares endlessly fascinating — and often unexpected — experiences from her job as a council funeral officer. A fascinating, poignant and FUNNY insight into the slightly macabre world of a council funeral officer’– Diane Morgan

If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us

Each chapter is a case referred to her. King writes with love and humour about the accompanying frustrations and emotions as she goes above and beyond to give everyone a dignified goodbye. To ensure no one is alone when they're buried or cremated and to bring the dead to life so that we know them and their story. We learn about the endless admin hoops King has to jump through. The strange practicalities. That death is of course not 9-5 so the work isn't either. That people can be awkward but also wonderful. And that everyone has a story. Reminiscent of Adam Kay but in a glorious world all of its own, this made me smile a lot and also cry. Ashes to Admin shows how precarious life and death can be. In a gentle and funny tone Evie King highlights both the bureaucracy and the humanity that is behind funerals organised under Section 46.