Helen keeps it in the family

THE woman at the helm of one of the area’s longestestablished funeral directors, Helen Wathall, has won the title of Family Business Director of the Year in the Midlands Institute of Directors annual awards.

Helen Wathall MBE is the fifth generation of her family to run Wathall’s, which was established in 1858, and has branches in Ashbourne, Alvaston, Borrowash and Burton.

She was appointed Managing Director after the death of her father, Bill, and has recently been joined in the business by her daughters

Bec and Charlotte. Helen was the first female and the youngest National President of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors in 2002, and in 2016 she was appointed as the first female non-executive board director of Golden Charter – the UK’S leading provider of funeral plans in the UK.

She is Board Chair of St Peter’s Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours’ List last year for services to the business and the community of Derbyshire.

Wathall’s is now planning to open new branches across Derbyshire.

The IOD awards were announced at a virtual ceremony and Ms Wathall said afterwards: “This is a huge honour and testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone who works with us today and the innovation embedded by past family members and employees during our long history.

“My two daughters have now joined me in the business and share my passion that we continue to serve our local communities and support people at difficult times in their lives.