Neville Funerals Sees Record Rise in Life-Saving Equipment Collections

Family run funeral provider, Neville Funerals, has reported a 59% increase in pacemakers collected for reuse, compared with the same period in 2025. Alongside pacemakers, the business also collects glasses and hearing aids on behalf from family clients, all of which are refurbished and redistributed to those in need. 

Rather than a fundraising appeal, the scheme allows families to pass on a loved one's pacemaker, glasses or hearing aids so the equipment can be given a second life — supporting people across the world who don't have access to the same standard of medical care available in the UK.

Neville Funerals operates nine branches across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It is the dedicated funeral service forming part of the Neville Trust Group of Companies, which has had a presence in Luton since its inception in 1875.

The collection scheme was established following Covid and is run by Neville Funerals' own staff, who work with charities dedicated to providing life-saving and life-changing equipment to those who need it most. Pacemakers are sent to Arrhythmia Alliance Pace4Life, which refurbishes and redistributes them to people around the globe; glasses go to Specsavers; and hearing aids are collected on behalf of Hearing Aid Recycling.

The continued rise in items collected reflects growing awareness, among the families Neville Funerals supports, of the difference a loved one's equipment can make once it is passed on — as well as a wider drive towards reusing medical devices rather than letting them go to waste.

Nurturing a holistic approach to care within its local community remains central to Neville Funerals' work. Alongside its funeral services, the business is proud to help connect families with charities that can put these items to good use.

Vicky Trumper, Director at Neville Funerals, said: “As a funeral care provider, we have built a business on extending our care far beyond the funeral itself. Whether it’s through our free bereavement support groups, Talking Elephants, or collecting life-saving, and life changing, equipment to be repurposed for those in need. The sad reality is that people throughout the world don’t always have access to glasses or hearing aids, something we tend to take for granted. That’s why we’re also delighted to have collected 102 pairs of glasses and 86 hearing aids in the year to date. Throughout 2025 we collected 890 pairs of glasses, pacemakers and hearing aids in total, which were all repurposed and redistributed.”

According to estimates from the British Heart Foundation, around 50,000 people are fitted with a pacemaker in the UK each year.

Vicky continued: “Charity is a key part of our Trust’s ethos and the organisations we choose to support play a vital role in the care and support of communities across the world. Charity and community are at the heart of what we do, so to have reached such an impressive milestone for pacemaker donations so early in the year is wonderful.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the individuals and families who support our mission to provide as many donations as possible to these important charities. We’ve supported these charities for a number of years, showing our long-standing recognition for the lives they support and the care they provide. Pacemaker donations are certainly leading the way this year, but every donation is a reminder of the impact these charities are having to improve the lives of many across the world.”