Meet Our Colleagues

Funeral Manager and Community Champion

Shires, Baldock

My name is Donna Kennett and I work for Shires Funeral Directors, from our funeral home in Whitehorse Street, Baldock. We have five other funeral homes located in Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Letchworth & Sandy.

People are often surprised when I tell them where I work, but I have always worked in Customer Services. Back in 2006, I was working for the local Council and at times it was a struggle to provide good service to every customer due to the volume of calls and queues. It was hard to deal with clients that were about to become homeless with your boss in the background tapping her wrist, basically telling you to hurry up as other customers were waiting.

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Deputy Funeral Service Manager

Heritage & Son, Winslow

Hi I am Rachel. I have been working for CPJ Field now for over 2 years now. I started working at CPJ Field as a FSTM. However, my current role is that of Deputy Funeral Service Manager, supporting the Funeral Service Manager, with the daily running of the whole Funeral delivery operation.

I still do the role of FSTM if not required in the office. I love this role as it is never repetitive. I could be involved with the preparation of the deceased for presentation in the Chapel of Rest or checking and maintaining the mortuary register.

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Funeral Director

Heritage & Sons, Aylesbury and Wendover

Hi, I am Vaughan. I was born and raised in Aylesbury and still live in this lovely county town of Buckinghamshire. I am proud to have worked in the funeral industry for most of my working life. My uncle Bill introduced me to the industry and the rest is history. As I’ve been in the funeral industry for 35+ years, I make sure I look out for my colleague’s welfare, especially our newer colleagues.

In my early career, I worked as a bus driver alongside the funeral industry, and I really enjoyed my time on the buses. I progressed to a chauffeur/bearer and at that time it was just driving hearses and limousines, then I was slowly introduced to doing callouts.

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Funeral Director, and Health, Safety & Wellbeing Lead

Haine & Son, Battle

Hi I am Andy. My career began within the funeral profession as a chauffeur bearer working for Dignity PLC in Seaford & Newhaven Funeral Service in the March of 2007. It was shortly after this that my interests grew in the role as a Funeral Director, and in the October of that year, a Trainee Funeral Director position was advertised for Haine & Son in Eastbourne (Part of CPJ Field). With a successful interview my training started in the January of 2008, and I have not looked back since.

It all started when I was fifteen years old and trying to decide on a career, my father said to me, “What about being a carpenter?”. I responded with “Why a carpenter?”.

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Funeral Director and Community Champion

Deric Scott, Bournemouth

Hi I am Jackie. I was born at home in Poole to Charles and Alean Robinson – my father had been a Lancaster pilot during the war and my mother had always worked as a secretary - we moved to Bournemouth when I was 18 months’ old and I have never moved away. I had a happy childhood with a traditional education at a local primary school followed by the local grammar school although I was never very academic, before undertaking secretarial training at Bournemouth College of Technology. My hobbies and interests are my cats, knitting, photography, reading, dancing, classic cars and travel, many of which I share with my husband of 41-years.

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Lead Embalmer

Haine & Son, Eastbourne

My name is Maria Strudwick. I am the lead Embalmer with CPJ Field and have been working across the family business for 5 ½ years. I have been in this profession for 26 years doing a variety of roles including chauffer bearer, and Funeral Director. Predominantly my main role has been as a qualified Embalmer, where I am the happiest. I got into this profession by chance as I was walking my children to school one day, and decided I wanted to do something rewarding but different. So, I went into Haines in South Street, and spoke to the inhouse embalmer there at the time. He then put me in touch with the BIE.

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