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.
Meet the Team
Mark Giles
Funeral Arranger/Conductor
Mark joined Payne and Sons, in July 2021 after having a 30 year career with British Airways as a Cabin Manager.
Mark said: “Meeting the needs of our customers, from initial contact to the day of the funeral. Making the whole journey as seamless as possible and promoting personal touches.”
In 1996 Mark was fortunate to be on a private charter for the late Queen Elizabeth and late Prince Phillip to Africa.
Tara Agrela
Funeral Arranger/FSO
Tara has been working for Payne & Sons Funeral Directors since 16th May 2022.
She previously worked in the beauty therapy and hospitality industry.
Tara said: ” I find it rewarding to help families at their time of need and try to make a very difficult time slightly more bearable for people.”
Andrew Mercer
Andrew Mercer originally trained with the NAFD in the 90’s and subsequently worked for a National Book Company for 20 years before coming back into the funeral industry over 30 years ago, initially as a funeral service operative and now as an arranger at our Seaside location. He has also assisted his wife running a small B&B in the town. Andrew thoroughly enjoys his role and is passionate about helping families at their hour of need.
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.