Wathall’s opens eighth branch across Derbyshire and Staffordshire
The branch is being managed by experienced funeral arranger Karen Knighton who worked in the NHS before entering the funeral services profession and then joining Wathall’s in 2022
Family-owned Wathall’s, Derby’s longest-established independent funeral directors, has opened its eighth branch across Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
The new branch on Burton Road, Littleover, joins the existing branch network of Macklin Street in Derby city centre, Allestree, Alvaston, Ashbourne, Borrowash, Chaddesden and Burton-on-Trent.
The branch, which was previously a retail unit and has been fully refurbished by Wathall’s, is fully accessible with additional disabled parking, an arranging room and chapel of rest for families to visit their loved ones.
There is also a dedicated area with samples of headstones and memorials which are designed, created and installed by Wathall’s sister company, Art Stone Memorials.
Helen Wathall MBE, who is the fifth generation of her family to head up the company, explained that the opening of the Littleover branch was the next chapter in Wathall’s long-standing commitment to serving local communities.
The branch is being managed by experienced funeral arranger Karen Knighton who worked in the NHS before entering the funeral services profession and then joining Wathall’s in 2022.
Wathall said: “Over the generations, we have always been dedicated to providing local services to local communities and to support people at times of greatest need in a number of ways. I have wanted to open a branch in Littleover for sometime to better serve the local community here who have previously come to our other Derby branches.
“I was therefore delighted to be able to secure these premises which give us the space to provide comfortable and private rooms for families to pre-plan and arrange funerals as well as a chapel for families to be able to say their final goodbyes to a loved one. The Littleover branch will also enable families to peruse the new ranges of urns and keepsakes as well as discuss memorials and headstones which are designed, created and installed by our sister company Art Stone Memorials.”
Knighton added: “Having worked at various other Wathall’s branches, I am delighted to have responsibility for the new Littleover branch.
“Littleover is also a thriving business community and we look forward to becoming part of the local efforts to provide a thriving and welcoming experience for local residents and visitors alike. Funeral arranging is a very rewarding job and there is no better feeling when a family tells you how much you have helped make a horrible time in their lives more bearable.”
