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Picaluna Newcastle

Picaluna Newcastle

3.3(7 reviews)See reviews ↓·Newcastle

What customers say

Based on genuine customer reviews

Newcastle families have turned to Picaluna for funeral direction and celebrant services, and the accounts that emerge are notably divided. Several reviews highlight the work of celebrant Cheryl Forbes, describing her compassion, professionalism and calm handling of family conflict, with one family noting she had officiated three services for them over three years. Paulina is likewise named for going above and beyond in arranging a husband's send-off, and one thing mentioned again and again is the transparent, clearly explained pricing, with one customer stating the costs were legible and straightforward.

Communication before and after the service is repeatedly praised, as is the care taken to respect family wishes. However, the feedback is not uniformly positive: one family reports poor communication, describing difficulty in obtaining follow-up and saying they were charged for services they believe were not delivered, which they found unacceptable during a traumatic time. That account stands in contrast to the many expressions of gratitude, leaving a picture of a provider whose celebrant-led services are warmly regarded by most, while one experience of billing and responsiveness remains a concern.

Funeral directorFuneral celebrant serviceFuneral home
Picaluna Newcastle — Customer photo

Reviews

Reviews are taken from publicly available sources.

SC
Shane Copping10 January 2025

The hardest, emotional & upsetting time of my life happened on the 16th November 24 when my beautiful husband passed away. With the endless help and support of the wonderful, caring Paulina I would not have given my husband such an incredible service. Paulina went above and beyond and my husband would have been so proud of his send off. Paulina is an Angel and helped me so much, I am so grateful for her help. Thank you so much Jen Copping

JC
Jodie Crawford-Fish22 October 2024
MR
Melissa Roszko13 September 2023

I cannot recommend Picaluna and Cheryl enough. From the get go we had nothing but clear and concise communication. Cheryl was very compassionate and empathetic and really helped us through the grieving process. She respected all of our wishes to farewell my late mother. She had to deal with three different personalities and she handled the conflict between us all very very well. She was professional and organised and made the process very seemless. If you want someone that actually cares then you can’t go past picaluna.

K
Karen17 August 2022
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Michael13 August 2022

I would highly recommend against anyone whom would consider utilising this organisation. Very poor communication from the organisation. During a traumatic time and lost of a loved one the last thing people should be concerned about is having to consistently follow up on a service. To then be further charged for services not provided ? I can only describe this as unacceptable. If you cannot act in a way that is inline with the expectations of the customer you need to rethink your business structure and customer approach. If I had less stars I would have given less

CB
Carol Boyton26 July 2021

Over the past three years, Cheryl has conducted three funeral services for members of my family. Cheryl is a delight to work with. Her caring nature and willingness to go above and beyond is a quality that is rare to find these days. Cheryl’s compassion, ‘can do’ nature where nothing is a problem, ensured that every detail was taken care of with professionalism and respect. Each service went without a problem and her caring nature was very much appreciated during these difficult times. Cheryl is a professional in the true sense of the word.

GW
Glenn Watson26 July 2021

In October 2020 my much-loved father passed away. I'd known celebrant Cheryl Forbes for many years as a friend, and she had met my parents, so she was the obvious choice to officiate at his funeral. Her gentleness and compassion were genuine but with the professional overlay you only hope for. We also engaged Cheryl as the funeral director so she could bring in other Picaluna people too. The pricing was completely legible and transparent and Cheryl took us through every item in the quote in detail. Before, during and after the ceremony the tone was absolutely spot on for my father, my family and our friends. It was as beautiful, as sweet and as fitting as a funeral could be and we are all very grateful to Cheryl and Picaluna. I gladly recommend them.

Funeral directors in Newcastle compared

Ordered by rating, weighted by the number of reviews — businesses with only a handful of reviews do not jump to the top automatically. 12 businesses in this category in Newcastle are compared.

RankProviderRatingReviewsOpen Sat.
1Dailey Family Funerals★ 5,018Yes
2Simplicity Funerals - Mobile Arranger Newcastle★ 5,06Yes
3White Lady Funerals Charlestown★ 5,04Yes
4Picaluna - Beautiful Funerals - Newcastle West★ 5,03Yes
5Newcastle Affordable Funeral★ 5,02Yes
12Picaluna Newcastle (this page)★ 3,37Yes
Contact
Working hours
Monday00:00–24:00
Tuesday00:00–24:00
Wednesday00:00–24:00
Thursday00:00–24:00
Friday00:00–24:00
Saturday00:00–24:00
Sunday00:00–24:00