Andrew Henwood, funeral director and life-long Newquay resident.  

10th March 2004 

YOU COULD say that Andrew Henwood was born into the funeral trade. He began work for his father's funeral directors at the tender age of 18 and has since gone onto become the director of the of the longest running independent funeral directors in Newquay.

Being born and bred in the town has undoubtedly been a massive boost to the business he holds so dear. 

Andrew was born in Springfield Road 42years ago in the town in which he now works.

He attended both Newquay Junior and Tretherras schools before taking up a mechanics apprenticeship with Hawkeys Garage at Chester Road at the age of 16. 

Unable to be a tearaway because of his family's standing Andrew worked hard at his job but soon found that he wasn't cut out for the mechanic's life. 

In the 1960's his father, Tony Henwood, ran a successful construction company but when the building trade started to slow down he diver- sified into the funeral business. 

The funeral directors had a "slow start" according to Andrew. He continued: "But it soon took off because there was always that element of the locals who knew who you were and trust you. There is always a core who know who you are." 

Andrew hadn't planned to follow in his father's footsteps until he was 25 but decided that at the age of 18 he was going to leave mechan- ics and join the family funeral directors.

It wasn't a difficult decision for Andrew to make. He said: "When I was growing up it was something you took for granted you were going to do, just something you went into. 

"I knew it was going along in the background, there was always someone on the end of the phone." 

As Tony Henwood had become President of the National Association of Funeral Directors and was often away on business, Andrew was taken under the wing of Des Rothey, his father's right hand man. 

"Des taught me all the ins-and- outs," he said. 

Realising his potential, Andrew soon left the business and headed off to Worcester to obtain his funeral directors' diploma. For six months he studied at college with fellow would-be funeral directors and embalmers on an intensive course. It wasn't all hard work and Andrew remembers several episodes of high spirits, which included him once being screwed shut into a coffin. Nonetheless the serious work got done and Andrew left college with the distinction of getting the highest marks in the whole country for which he was awarded the 'Scales' Award. It was in Worcester that Andrew first came face to face with the reality of his job, a deceased person. 

"I've accepted it now," he says of seeing dead bodies on an almost daily basis, "and it is interesting in a way.” 

"To be honest it makes or breaks you and not everyone can do it but it doesn't affect me at all. It's a job that has to be done. It's not a job for everybody but after all there are jobs I couldn’t do." 

After completing the course Andrew went back to work for his father and Des. His duties included looking after the cars, preparing coffins, collecting bodies and some- times having to take them back home, often miles away. Andrew says: "I was generally on call 24 hours a day, I had to ring in every hour, you get used to it, being on duty all the time." 

In 1988 the Henwood company was sold to a national chain of funeral directors and, as his father chose this time to retire from the trade completely, Andrew went in as manager. Just three years later however he left the company because he found working for a national chain difficult. 

"They didn't seem to know our way of life down here. They are only interested in money which I didn't like doing so I resigned," he said.

Contractual obligations made working back in Newquay impossible for Andrew so instead he brought a funeral directors in Redruth called Morley Martins. He ran the business successfully for three years and got invaluable first hand experience of running his own funeral directors. When his contract terminated he was able to return to his Newquay home to start up his own funeral directors, Andrew Henwood's. 

"The business went from strength to strength," says Andrew. "For two Cornishmen we did very well. Father got the money and I got the business." 

Andrew is the first to admit that he couldn't have got where he is today without the help of both his father and Des Rothey. Both men guided Andrew along the way and helped to smooth the transition from employee to businessman. Debbie, his wife of 19 years, has also proved to be an invaluable asset to the business. 

"I couldn't work without her and I couldn't have done it without the help of father and Des," Andrew said. "They have all helped shape the business." 

Andrew now works closely with Norman Bailey as his right hand man and a team of part time bearers. Despite the help, Andrew and Debbie are constantly on call and like to be available to answer the phone 24-hours-a-day. "It's very rare that I get through the whole weekend without getting a call." 

Over the years he has learnt to build a wall of professionalism around what could be a very distressing career. 

"You get called in at a very emotional time to do a job and it's important not to get drawn into it," he says. "Compassion does come naturally and you certainly feel it more when it's youngsters involved.” 

"We give people advice but you're there to do a job, it's a vocation. If you do a funeral without being seen you've been successful.'“

"A smile goes a long way even in the funeral trade."

While he remains as professional as possible Andrew says it is the element of helping people that is one of the main attractions of the job. That and the fact that every day, every grieving relative and every funeral is different.

“it's great going out helping people, that's what you're there for," he says. "Sometimes it's a pity to have to charge them for what you do but you've got to make a living.”

During his career Andrew has noticed some big changes to the way people organise and plan relatives' funerals.

He said: "It's the music at the churches that's the biggest change because nowadays you can play anything. Some of it is quite appropriate, before it was so formal and was the same words over and over again but now they're making it more individual for families.

"The other biggest change we have noticed is in people pre-planning and pre-paying. A third more of all funerals are now pre-paid. The deceased just wants everything tied down for the children to make it easier for them."

Funerals can be an expensive business costing up to £3,000. At the other end of the scale a social service funeral can be done for around £900. The average funeral is around £1,200 to £1,300.

The vast majority of this financial assistance comes out of the estate of the people who have died. For the cost of a funeral, however, Andrew Henwood can take all the worries away for a bereaved friend or relative. Describing the work he does, Andrew said: "You plan to do everything you can and look after everything from the flowers to the hymns.”

"We can't register deaths but from the initial phone call we will visit the bereaved and go through all the details. We can normally do a funeral within a week, we give guidance on certificates, contact the newspapers, collect the body, dress them ready for the chapel of rest. Relatives can come whenever they like and you go out of your way to do everything they want. There are different types of coffins such as painted or cardboard and we can also help search for music.

"We also supply cars, hearses, limos, and afterwards memorials or headstones."

Out of work, Andrew likes to spend time with family, children Laura 15 and Tom 13. He occasionally plays a round of golf but much prefers driving in his Caterham sports car. Seeing the local funeral director speeding past in a bright yellow sports car may not be everyone's stereotypical image.

"People do expect you to be the archetypal funeral type. Death is always there in the background but I don't think about it too much," he adds.

and In case you were wondering, yes he has planned his own funeral. But to give away the details would be telling.