Funeral Services in Kempston | A L & G Abbott Funeral Directors

Our Prestigious History

In 1832, Geoff Abbott’s grandfather, John Abbott, started out as a carpenter, joiner and builder in Luton. In 1870, he decided to operate as a funeral director alongside his other businesses and moved his office to Bedford Road, Kempston. He purchased a wooded area and made quality coffins, urns, handles and crosses. By the early 1920s, Geoff Abbott’s father, Lou Abbott, joined the business and the name changed to A L Abbott. By the early 1940s, Lou Abbott’s son Geoffrey had joined the business and the name changed again to A L & G Abbott. After Lou’s death in 1952, Geoffrey was the sole owner until his daughter Lynne Darlow joined him in the mid-1970s. Since then, the firm has grown into an experienced family-run business, with expertise that has been passed down generations.

Abbott Funeral Directors in Bedford has a fantasic team to help take care of you at this difficult time

Our Team

Graham Northwood, Allan Pepper B.I.E., Tracy Williamson, Nigel Smith and Chris West (From left to right)

Graham has been with A L & G Abbott for over 37 years and has built up an extensive knowledge relating to all aspects of the profession.

Allan has been working with us for nearly 30 years and is responsible for the care of your loved one while they rest at our premises.

Chris is a highly valued member of our team in the office as one of our funeral directors.

Nigel is another of our Funeral Directors and an invaluable member of our team, involved in all aspects of the business including arranging funerals and conducting them on the day.

Tracy is, almost certainly, the voice you will hear on the phone or the face to greet you in reception. If she can’t answer your question she knows a man who can.

Funeral Arrangements

Abbott Funeral Directors in Bedford is a family run business established in 1832

Meet The Family

Pippa, Peter, Lynne and Candy (From left to right)

Peter Wilkinson and his wife Lynne have been involved in the business on a daily basis from April 1998.

Peter worked with the Abbott family for many years before taking over the business in 2003. They have two daughters - Pippa joined the business in 2008 and Candy joined in 2012. They strive to provide a professional service with outstanding levels of care.

Bereavement Listening Service

Chere Hunter, Bereavement Consultant

I am privileged to introduce this entirely free, confidential listening service to our families. Grief is so hard to deal with and it is sometimes very helpful to have someone listen, empathise and encourage you along the next stage of your journey. It is good to talk so I look forward to meeting you. Having conducted so many funerals over the past 17 years, I am available to assist you plan and personally conduct your loved one's funeral also if you wish.

If you would like my help please call me on 07958 662 637 or email bereavement@abbott-funerals.co.uk to book an appointment. Abbott Funerals offer a Bereavement Listening Service, contact us to find out more

Abbott Funerals offer a Bereavement Listening Service, contact us to find out more

We have over 180 years of experience providing funeral services in Kempston. For more information, call us on

01234 843 222

What our families say

I just wanted to say I am so grateful and thank you for the care and support you showed us as a family and the care you took in looking after my mum. These things are never easy, but you helped me so much along the way. Nothing seemed too much trouble or a problem and I am so thankful for that.

R and Family.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the very caring, professional and ‘perfect’ funeral you provided for our precious mum. The care she received throughout was superb, nothing short of superb.

The Families of E.S.

My whole family wish to pass on our grateful thanks to all the team at Abbotts for all the help and support in organising the funeral. Thank you for all the care and respect given to Dad whilst he was in your care, it was a great comfort to all the family.

J & S T.

We just wanted to say thank you for the excellent service you provided for mum’s funeral. It was a hard day for us, but you took charge and made us feel that we did not need to worry about the details and so were able to give mum the send-off she deserved, thank you so much.

C.M. & M.C.

I just wanted to thank you all for all your kindness and support carrying out my mum’s funeral. It was exactly what she would have wanted. Everything went perfectly without a hitch, which is down to your professionalism and dedication to compassionate customer service. It was a difficult day which you all helped me through. My heartfelt thanks once again.

J.B.

I would just like to say a huge thank you for the care and compassion shown to my family and I on the loss of my mum. It was such a difficult time for me, with the added distance of journeying back and forth to my home, but I felt you were there for me at each stage and nothing was too much trouble. I was so grateful to be able to spend precious time in the Chapel of Rest where I could tell mum was truly cared for. Special thanks to Chris for his support and attention from beginning to end.

C.M.

I lost my mum in 2018 and a year later I was still lost, grieving, angry & hurt. My Aunty saw your advert offering this amazing add on service. To be honest I was sceptical I thought you would only offer it to the recently bereaved but I knew I needed someone to talk to so I thought what the heck, what's the worst they'll say? No sorry it's only for existing clients?? So I emailed and my god I'm so glad I did. Chere is... "wow" my heart smiles when I think of her. What an exceptional lady and an absolute asset to your team. Now I can smile and laugh when I think of my mum instead of trying to block out her memory because it's too sad to think of her. My "new normal".

A.M.

Contact Us

We serve Kempston and the surrounding areas. If you need any advice then please do get in touch and we we will be happy to help you.

Latest Update

Further to the government announcement on the 23rd March please find below the current guidelines regarding the funeral industry.

All funeral services must respect the current government requests for social distancing and the protection of high-risk groups.

Where possible, all funerals will be arranged over the phone or via other electronic means. If they are arranged in person, social distancing must be respected, this means:

Individuals must keep 2m apart
Wash hands frequently
If anyone coughs or sneezes then use a tissue and catch it / kill it / bin it
The number of people attending must be limited

Funerals cannot be arranged in person with anyone currently showing symptoms of the virus or who are self-isolating.

It is vital that funeral service employees, who are key workers, can remain healthy to continue to support bereaved families.

Chapel of Rest visits - these can go ahead at specific pre-arranged times and will be limited to people who live in the same household. At risk groups are strongly urged not to visit.
Funeral Service - the number of people attending the service will be limited in line with government advice on social distancing. The situation regarding specific locations is constantly under review and we will advise families on the current recommendations. During any service all social distancing guidelines must be respected.
Limousines - these can no longer be offered as a form of transport.
Charitable donations - all collections will be dealt with online.

We are working to stay on top of all of the current government advice to protect our staff and your families. We understand that at this already very difficult time certain guidelines will cause even more distress for which we are very sorry but they are totally out of our control. We are here for you to talk things through so please don’t hesitate to call, we are committed to help you through this very difficult time. We continue to offer our Bereavement Listening Service over the phone so please contact us if you are interested.

Funeral services by family-run independent funeral directors