Ballard & Shortall

I was born into the funeral profession as my father Paul was a funeral director. We moved to Crawley in December 1982. The business was owned by Neil Ballard and originally called Bartley and Ward. My mother was also working for the business and managed the Crawley funeral home. Over the years the name of the business changed to Ballard and Shortall.

I became actively involved in the business in 1994 when I was 16 years old as a part-time receptionist, eventually becoming full time I left in 1998 to work at Gatwick Airport as a passenger service agent, working for Delta Airlines.

I returned to Ballard and Shortall as a funeral director in 2001 not long after the business was purchased by the Field family. I was placed in East Grinstead and obtained my Diploma in funeral directing in 2004.

My parents retired in 2016 and I moved to Crawley, I was a Senior Funeral Director there and became the Principal Funeral Director for North Sussex. In May 2021 I was promoted to General Manager.

The funeral profession has quite literally been my entire life, mostly working for CPJ Field. I married Gavin in 2012 and our son, Elliot was born in 2014. My spare time is very much focused around my family. I enjoy socialising with friends and when I get the opportunity I like to read.

Being born, raised, educated, and worked in Crawley I have a good understanding and sense of community. I have worked in various administrative roles since the age of 16 and was fortunate to become part of the Ballard & Shortall team in July 2024 as a funeral arranger and administrator.

I take great pride in supporting families at one of the most difficult times of their lives. It is important to me that they have a shoulder to lean on, a sympathetic and understanding ear and the comfort of knowing that their loved one, as well as themselves, will be looked after and cared for completely. It is an enormous privilege to be entrusted at such an emotional time to make sure a family can give their loved one the ‘final goodbye’ they wanted whilst ensuring that they know that each and every life is unique to us.

In my spare time I love to spend time with my husband Andy, and son Scott. I also enjoy reading, gardening, walking and socialising with friends.

I moved from Bedford to Crawley over 30 years ago, to get married and be with my now husband who lived in Crawley.

I am very familiar with the local Asian community (Hindu and Sikhs) and they are aware of and relate to us when thinking about a Funeral Home. I have a good familiarity with the rituals. My understanding of religion relieves families, and we personalize the arrangement of the funeral service. My main passion is to ensure that the minute the family walk into the funeral home they are looked after, and we can provide the best send-off for their loved one.

I started my role at Ballard and Shortall in August 2018 as a Funeral Arranger/Administrator and enjoy helping colleagues professionally and families through their difficult time.

In my spare time I enjoy going on long walks, going to local the gym (I love yoga and aqua aerobics), gardening and of course I love cooking.

I am locally born and bred, with a knowledge of the Crawley area. This is helpful when talking to families as I can relate to your preferences on funeral venues when we meet. My priority is to look after families during a difficult and emotional time, ensuring we reflect your loved one in the funeral we arrange. I started at Ballard and Shortall in January 2018 and progressed from Funeral Arranger to Funeral Home Manager in 2020 after gaining a qualification in funeral arranging.

In my spare time, I like to read, meet friends and family as well as chaperoning children at theatre productions as this is where my children spend a lot of their time. I am also the clerk to Governors at a local primary school.

I moved to East Grinstead from Croydon around 4 years ago and instantly felt at home here due to the strong sense of community spirit that is so welcoming. Due to my job, I have built many positive relationships within the wider community. I initially started Ballard & Shortall as a full time Funeral Arranger/Administrator in 2023 but I am now the Trainee Funeral Director. I have learnt so much in this role not only within the funeral profession but also about myself.

I find it very heartwarming to know that we help and support so many families and I take great comfort when I see the stress and worry we remove from our families during what is an already difficult time. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family as cliché as that sounds, I appreciate how important family is.

I moved to the area in 1999 and shortly after had my children. I got involved with volunteering in the local community in school and church then worked with children in school until summer 2025 when I began at Ballard & Shortall.

I feel privileged to be supporting and guiding families through such a difficult time. I try to make families feel comfortable when they enter our home .I am honoured to hear about their loved ones and be able to arrange the best goodbye that reflects their lives.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, baking, reading, walking and trying new extreme sports.

I have been working as a Funeral Arranger and Administrator for the past seven months, and my main focus is making sure our families feel fully supported—not just before the funeral, but especially in the days and weeks afterwards. I believe care and compassion shouldn’t stop once the service is over, and I’m passionate about being there for families every step of the way.

Family and friends are incredibly important to me so in my spare time, I try to spend as much time as I can surrounded by the people who matter most.

I have been based here for a number of years and am familiar with the local community. Being very team-spirited, I support the local community in many ways from funerals to charity support and getting involved in local events.

I joined Ballard and Shortall as a Trainee Funeral Director in Horley on the 4^th Jan 2021 and started my training in Crawley. Before that, I spent over 40 years working in the Airline Industry at Gatwick and Heathrow for British Airways, mainly as an operations manager. I have lived in and worked around the Horley and Crawley area for most of my life.

I have now been in Horley as the Funeral Director for nearly 2 years and have got to know the local community through the local Coffee shops and have joined the Horley Constitution Club and have organised a Never Alone Coffee Morning supported by the Horley Methodist Church and we also support the local Food Bank.

In my spare time, I enjoy going out with my wife for a nice meal and drinks, going to the gym, walking, cycling in the warm weather and weekends away and lovely holidays. One of my greatest achievements was being a Games maker at the London 2012 Olympic games.

I feel very privileged in my role as the local Funeral Director that I am able to support the families within Horley and surrounding areas at a very difficult time.

I joined Ballard & Shortall in October 2022 after returning to the UK, having spent several years living in France. I feel incredibly privileged to support people during some of their most difficult times, helping them to navigate what can often be an overwhelming and emotion process. In my spare time you’ll find me with my horses and dogs, skiing, paddleboarding or on my yoga mat.  I also love long-distance open-water swimming and regularly compete in events. 

I joined Ballard & Shortall as a Funeral Arranger Administrator in April 2018, and feel privileged to be able to help families through one of their most difficult times, working as part of a close-knit team with Kevin and Lisa.

I am not a Horley resident myself, but I do have connections with people and places here outside of work.

I have been working as a funeral arranger since May 2023, in our Horsham funeral home.

I can honestly say that being a funeral arranger has turned out to be a job that I love, it is an absolute privilege to help and support families and friends at such a difficult time in their lives, and guide them through the, sometimes, quite complex processes that they face, and to be able to take away much of the worry. Throughout my career, I have always worked with the public, providing excellent customer service in areas such as retail, children’s nurseries and hospitality.

Outside of work I love the theatre, dancing, singing, walking and spending time with my grandchildren, friends and my springer spaniel dogs.