About Us

  • Payne and Sons Eastbourne Branch

    About Payne & Sons Funeral Directors

    Payne & Sons Funeral Directors was established to serve Eastbourne and Hampden Park and the neighbouring communities of East Dean, Pevensey and Polegate.

    Rifleman Christopher Howard set up Payne & Sons Funeral Directors with parents Donna & Rod Payne in July 2010, just 11 months after being severely injured by an IED whilst on foot patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is now led by Funeral Director Lee Howard, Christopher’s younger brother. 

    Our Eastbourne funeral home, in a former Edwardian cinema, has its own service venue in Eastern Hall. This is a beautifully spacious large room in which we can conduct a funeral or ‘celebration of life’ service that will easily seat 70 or more. 

    The teams at our Eastbourne and Hampden Park funeral homes will provide advice at every stage of the funeral planning process, and will arrange an individual and unique funeral to help you celebrate the life of your loved one. 

    Here at Payne & Sons Funeral Directors we also offer an affordable prepaid funeral plan, Choice, so that you can arrange and pay for a funeral in advance. This will protect your family from rising costs and remove uncertainty about your wishes.

    If you would like to talk to us about planning a funeral, or our Choice plan, please come and see us in any of our funeral homes, or if you’d rather we can arrange a home visit. We’re also available 24 hours a day on the phone so if you need anything please don’t hesitate to call your local funeral home.

    Latest Reviews

    Google

    We, as a family, cannot recommend Payne and Sons enough. Emily took care of our dad with such care, thoughtfulness, and warmth. She was incredibly accommodating and generous, especially when navigating time-zone schedules with my brother and me (living in Australia). Emily was by our…

    Jan Chantler

    Google

    Great Funeral directors very professional Very pleased with all arrangements from start to finish. Many thanks to all the staff at Payne & Sons…

    dave mccarthy

    Google

    Payne and Sons is a wonderfully supportive company, my heartfelt thanks go to Emily, Karen, Ian and Celine, It was like being looked after and helped by understanding friends, Thankyou all so much you eased us through a very difficult time…

    julia mackie

    Google

    The family would like to thank Lee and the whole team for their support and guidance for Mrs Ada Heartfield Funeral. This is the second funeral they have arranged for us and you can not fault them in any way. Highly recommended and deserve a…

    graham bennee

    Google

    These people understand human nature! Sadly mum died recently. We have a great sense of humour and they understood people deal with grief differently! Nothing.was to much for them..their kindness is beyond compare..the private chapel to the rear of this beautiful building ( previously a…

    Jane Archer

    Google

    If you're worried about anything to do with organising a funeral for a loved one, we cannot recommend Payne & Sons highly enough. They looked after Dad beautifully, from collecting him from the care home, to planning and handling his funeral; Dad was in their…

    Maddie Grant

    Google

    The staff at Payne & Sons ( Hampden Park) were so kind, thoughtful, professional, and understanding at arranging my father's funeral. He died early December 2024, and they stepped up and made all the arrangements for the family being so close to Christmas. We couldn't…

    Amanda Ivimy

    Google

    I can't thank Tara, Mark & all at Payne & Sons enough. Tara has taken such great care with myself & the family. Helping us through everything with so much Grace & patience. And the care you all took with my beautiful Mum was Amazing…

    Karen Platt

    Google

    We were able to give my wonderful Nan a personalised, beautiful send off thanks to Tara and all at Payne and sons in Hampden Park. Tara was so kind and caring throughout the whole process making sure everything was just perfect, and completely stress free…

    Michele Allsopp

    Google

    Amazing experience with Payne and sons seaside branch. The team were friendly and polite! They went the extra mile to make sure our elvis loving grandad had the perfect send off! Could not fault the team at all made a difficult situation so much more…

    chloe wyer

    Meet the Team

    Lee Howard

    Operational Support Manager

    Lee Williams

    Funeral Arranger

    Lee was a senior prison officer before joining Payne & Sons Funeral Directors, to begin a new career. He is looking forward to meeting people, and being able to alleviate the stress of a funeral.

    In his spare time Lee enjoys watching most sports and spending time with his family and friends.

    Karen West

    Funeral Service Operative

    Karen previously worked in the mobility trade before joining Payne & Sons Funeral Directors. She enjoys meeting and helping different people, and supporting them during this difficult time.

    In her spare time, Karen enjoys walking her dog and socialising with friends and family.

    Emily McKay

    Funeral Arranger

    Emily was an event manager for a wedding venue before joining Payne & Sons Funeral Directors. She enjoys helping families celebrate their loved ones and ensuring the families have the funeral the way they want.

    In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends, paddleboarding, cooking, and traveling.

    Our Values

    Pride

    We take pride in everything we do. Our aim is that everyone who works for Funeral Partners shares our values.

    Helping People

    Our business exists to help the bereaved to make fitting arrangements for their loved one’s last journey and to provide lasting memories for family and friends.

    We do this with a positive, caring and understanding approach.

    Respect for everyone

    We value diversity and treat everyone with the same respect, courtesy and dignity.

    Professional Standards

    We are a professional organisation and we strive to achieve the highest possible standards in everything we do and to improve upon these standards continuously.

    Accept responsibility

    We accept responsibility for our actions both as a company and as individuals.

    Partnership

    We believe that we can only achieve our goals by working together in partnership with client families, suppliers and our employees.

    Our locations

    We're available 24 hours 365 days a year

    Call 01323 649 049 visit branch or arrange a home visit