Ask Helen Wathall about her long and successful 41-year career and she always gives the same answer. “I was only going to stay and help my dad for a year or two – but I never left,” she smiled.
The managing director at Wathall’s loves the highs and the lows of running the successful Derby-based business and says it is always a privilege to serve local people.
“When my dad died, I wanted to carry on his legacy, honour his life and take the business to the next level,” she said. “Honouring my dad’s life and running the business from the lessons he taught is still a challenge, but I hope I have made him proud.”
Helen is one of the first female funeral directors in the UK and is the fifth generation to take up the reins at Wathall’s. In 1995, the year her dad, Bill, died the business arranged 1,200 funerals.
“Without a brilliant team around me, I could not do what I do,” said Helen, who is based at Wathall’s HQ on Macklin Street in Derby.
“We might have been arranging funerals since 1858, but we still have to be very present and very current. “We pride ourselves on the care we give, and we have seen many changes including cremations becoming a more popular choice, and families having very different funeral services for their loved ones.”
After losing her dad, Helen went overnight from being an employee to being in charge. At the time it was still a very male-dominated industry, and Helen would laugh to herself when people asked to speak to a man.
“Back then, people would assume that I was the wife of the business owner,” she said. “But I never let it get me down – quite the opposite. I became even more determined to build the business.”
In the early days, Helen worked around the clock and in 2002, she became the first female president of the trade association, the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). She was also the first woman to join the board of directors at Golden Charter Funeral Plans in 2016 and in 2019, she was awarded an MBE by William, Prince of Wales, in recognition of her services to the profession.
“That was a wonderful day,” said Helen. “I felt so proud and it really made me think about everything we have achieved at Wathall’s.
“To be honest, the core of what we do has not altered. We respect the deceased and support their families, their wishes and beliefs. We help them in their darkest hours, and I would like to think that’s why we are still the people’s choice in Derby.”
Helen has arranged hundreds of funerals in Derby, many of which have reflected the individuality of the person being remembered, from services featuring stormtroopers to brightly coloured coffins. But one, in particular, has always stayed with her – and for very different reasons.
It was the funeral of a lady, attended only by her husband. Helen explains: “A gentleman came in and wanted our help to arrange the funeral for his wife. He wanted a no-fuss funeral. He said there wouldn’t be any family or friends at the crematorium.
“It was a very private moment for the man, and I was giving him some time on his own before the service. Then he turned to me and asked if I would sit with him.
“We went in together and I held his hand the whole time. It felt such an honour.
“The day has always stayed with me, and I think it is because it felt so right. We did something truly beautiful that day.”
There isn’t a job that Helen hasn’t done at Wathall’s and she says she has thoroughly enjoyed the people-facing roles like arranging funerals. She has also set up pioneering initiatives like Dandelions Bereavement Support, offering a grief journey programme, support groups and counselling to families who need it.
“We do so much more than arranging funerals,” said Helen. “And that’s what I always wanted to do.
“Our Dandelions Bereavement Support, which was launched in 2014, has been so well attended. The team works with people who have lost a loved one and I know we have touched people’s lives in such a positive way.
“My dad worked at Wathall’s for 40 years before he died and he did a remarkable job. He developed a long-standing commitment to serve our local community and support people and I hope he’s looking down on me and thinking that I’ve done the same.
“I have tried extremely hard to maintain our family ethos and I thank every member of the Wathall’s family and team, past and present, who have played their part. Together, we have achieved something quite remarkable and 168 years on, I think we should feel immensely proud.”
