Mindful Memorials

Mindful Memorials is a family-run stonemasonry business based in Melbourne, East Yorkshire, with seven branches across the region. 

Led by husband-and-wife team Adrian and Anna Buckley, the business designs and manufactures bespoke memorials, combining traditional stone carving techniques with modern production methods. 

With more than 70 years of family heritage in the stone industry, the business has built its reputation on craftsmanship, creativity and innovation, helping families create personal tributes that celebrate the lives of loved ones. 

As customer expectations have evolved, demand has grown for more personalised memorials. At the same time, the business recognised opportunities to develop entirely new products and services that could enhance the customer experience and create future growth opportunities. 

Mindful Memorials' challenge was how to preserve its artisan skills while embracing digital technologies that could unlock innovation, enhance personalisation and support the development of entirely new product categories. 

The business engaged with Made Smarter to assess its people, processes and products, resulting in a bespoke digital roadmap that identified additive manufacturing as a key opportunity for innovation and future growth. 

Made Smarter delivery partners Hull & East Yorkshire (HEY) Growth Hub and York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub connected the business with specialist expertise across Yorkshire, including Ripon-based Additive-X, which provided practical guidance on the capabilities of industrial 3D printing, and York Minster, where additive manufacturing techniques are being used to support the conservation of historic buildings. 

Mindful Memorials then secured a £2,000 Made Smarter Digital Technology Grant to invest in a Bambu Lab X1 Combo 3D printer to begin prototyping bespoke grave art, decorative memorial features and entirely new product concepts in-house, significantly strengthening its research and development capability. 

Alongside the technology investment, the business also invested in developing its people. Anna and Adrian's son, Benji, who leads digital development within the company, completed the Made Smarter Digital Manufacturing Champions couse, strengthening his understanding of digital transformation, innovation and change management, while building the confidence to lead future projects. 

Mindful Memorials also became part of a wider manufacturing community through Made Smarter, with Anna taking part in networking events including the York and North Yorkshire Women in Manufacturing Roundtable and the York and North Yorkshire Manufacturing Lunch. The team also attended workshops covering additive manufacturing, cyber security, the Internet of Things and other emerging technologies, broadening their understanding of how digital technologies can support long-term business growth. 

The support has given Mindful Memorials a clearer understanding of how digital technologies can enhance its highly personalised approach to memorial design and future product development. 

The introduction of 3D printing enabled the business to explore additive manufacturing for the first time, accelerating R&D and reducing risk. 

Anna Buckley said: "We've been able to test ideas, create prototypes and explore possibilities that would have been much more difficult or expensive to do otherwise. 

"Some things have worked really well and some haven't, but that's all part of the journey. What it's done is help us move from thinking, 'maybe we could do this', to knowing what is and isn't possible. It removed a lot of uncertainty and gave us a much clearer understanding of where this technology can support future product development and where we should focus our efforts." 

Perhaps most significantly, the investment has enabled Mindful Memorials to progress the concept of a highly personalised memorial urn range, a product category it believes is not currently offered elsewhere within the UK memorial sector. Further support came through the Aura Innovation Centre at the University of Hull following an introduction by HEY Growth Hub, giving the business access to specialist expertise to help develop and commercialise the concept. 

Meanwhile, the Digital Manufacturing Champions course has also given the company greater confidence in evaluating new technologies and planning future investments. 

Benji said: "The programme helped me understand that successful digital transformation is about people as much as technology. Introducing new systems is only effective if you bring your team with you and help them understand the benefits. 

"It was also valuable to learn alongside other manufacturers and hear how they're approaching similar challenges.” 

What began as an investment in additive manufacturing has evolved into a broader innovation programme, with the business earning regional and national awards for its commitment to combining heritage craftsmanship with digital transformation. 

The business is now exploring further investment in 3D printing technology, larger premises and increased manufacturing capacity.  

For Anna, one of the most valuable aspects of Made Smarter has been becoming part of a wider community of manufacturers, advisers and innovation partners. 

"We've found the support from Made Smarter to be genuinely excellent,” she said. “The team have been knowledgeable and encouraging, and the workshops have been particularly valuable in helping us integrate more digital design into our processes and begin prototyping using additive manufacturing to complement our traditional, heritage skills.”