A.W. Lymn welcomes new trainee embalmer in Nottingham
John Redhead, who worked as a head-of-year at a Derbyshire school, now supports mortuary manager Isabel Walton while retraining to become a qualified embalmer
A.W. Lymn has welcomed John Redhead as a trainee embalmer at Robin Hood House, Nottingham, after spending 22 years in the education sector.
Redhead, who worked as a head-of-year at a Derbyshire school, decided to make a career change. He now supports mortuary manager Isabel Walton at the funeral provider’s Nottingham branch while retraining to become a qualified embalmer.
He is set to start a two-year external embalming qualification this coming June, and once completed, he will become a qualified embalmer and a member of the British Institute of Embalming.
According to Redhead, he first became interested in working in the funeral sector after seeing an advert for Careers Fair.
He subsequently secured a role at another funeral directors before joining A.W. Lymn six months later took a job as a driver/bearer in Mansfield. From there, he moved into the mortuary after realising his skills as a former PE teacher and interest in anatomy could be used to give the deceased the right send-off.
Redhead said: “I’d always really enjoyed the pastoral element of my role as a teacher, but it was starting to feel like the job was all about achieving results, with every pupil’s worth based on their academic achievements. Leaving teaching was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, especially not knowing what I wanted to do next.
“A.W. Lymn has an incredible reputation; I quickly knew they were a company I’d want to work for. Starting a second career can be scary, but ultimately when you break it down, both teaching and embalming are about care. If you’ve got the skills inside you and that empathy for people, it’s not that much different at all.”
He added: “No two days in the mortuary are the same and I feel so fortunate that now, I look forward to going to work at the start of the week. Isabel and the whole team at A.W. Lymn have been so supportive throughout my transition.”
Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of A.W. Lymn, added: “The work our embalmers do in the mortuary is vital to ensuring that the bereaved we care for feel supported and that the deceased are treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
“We’re thrilled that John has been able to make such a seamless transition into the profession and are proud to support our staff who share our core values of quality of service and excellence, to achieve their potential.”