West Lothian funeral director boosts fleet with specialist vehicles

01 December 2015

Funeral directors Thomas Grieve & Son is now able to provide more support to its local community following the acquisition of two custom-built Mercedes vehicles after securing £150,000 funding from Clydesdale Bank.

The family business, which has employed three generations of the Grieve family, received the hearse and limousine on Tuesday 17 November from the manufacturer in Germany.

Purchase of the vehicles was made possible with funding from Clydesdale Bank in a deal facilitated by Relationship Manager Kevin Thomson.

Both the limousine and hearse were custom-built to the company’s specifications. Unlike most funeral cars, Thomas Grieve & Sons’ new vehicles are palladium grey and not the traditional black.

Father and son Thomas and Bill Grieve started the funeral business in 1987 in Blackburn, West Lothian. The company has grown considerably since then and now employs 15 members of staff across four locations, and has now been run by Bill and his son Anthony for the past eight years.

As well as the successful funeral business, the family have been building up their monumental services, creating personalised headstones and memorials.

Co-founder Bill Grieve, said: “The two new additions to our fleet will provide our customers with the highest level of service and discretion.

“We are in the process of upgrading our entire fleet to matching palladium grey Mercedes vehicles. As far as we are aware, we are the only funeral directors in the area that use this colour.

“I’ve been with Clydesdale Bank for 25 years and throughout that time they’ve helped our business grow, including providing funding for us to buy our premises.

“They understand our vision of where we want to take Thomas Grieve & Son and the funding they have provided for our new vehicles demonstrates that.

“I’m very grateful for the support they have provided over the years.”

Stephen Buchan, Head of Clydesdale Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Edinburgh, said: “Thomas Grieve & Son are highly respected in the local community and have a strong reputation for their professional services.

“We have been honoured to work with them for 25 years and are proud to support them with their latest vehicle purchase. I look forward to continuing our positive relationship.”