Young Funeral Director Challenges Industry Perceptions

Hollie James, a 24-year-old funeral director, has noted that individuals frequently express “surprise” upon discovering a young person’s involvement in the profession. Ms. James recently established her own business in Radstock, situated close to Bath, and is believed to be Somerset’s youngest independent funeral director. Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, she shared, “I lost my mum when I was 15 years old and all I remember was it being quite a bit of blur at the time of organising the funeral.” She added, “It’s a privilege to support people at their time of need and we get to meet so many different people. No day is the same.” Ms. James commenced her professional journey at the age of 18, undertaking an apprenticeship at her local crematorium in Bath. She stated, “I didn’t get the grade that I wanted to when I did my GCSEs.” She further explained, “I was brought up with my grandparents and they urged me to go for an apprenticeship.” Ms. James recounted experiencing “so nervous” feelings during her initial funerals. She elaborated, “I used to get heart palpitations at first. I would be pacing up and down in the office – it’s because I care. “You don’t get a trial run in funerals, everything has to be perfect.” She concluded, “It’s become second nature now to me and I can deal with the nerves and responsibility.” During her apprenticeship, Ms. James indicated that she cultivated connections by engaging with funeral directors throughout Somerset, which led to her now operating her own enterprise. She commented, “It was quite scary for me, going from an established company to go on my own. It’s quite daunting running my own business but so far it’s going really well.” She added, “We always say, metaphorically we hold people’s hands through the journey.” Ms. James expressed her eagerness to challenge “taboos” associated with death and funerals. She observed, “Everyone has said that it’s really refreshing that young people are coming into the industry. It’s a changing industry.” She further stated, “There’s so much taboo around death and people need to have conversations about death and I hope to help change that.” For updates, follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.