Wathall’s Expands Services To Local Families
Family-owned Wathall’s – Derby’s longest-established independent funeral directors – has expanded the service it is able to offer to local families.
The company, which has branches in Derby, Alvaston, Ashbourne, Borrowash and Burton-on-Trent, has joined forces with another local company to offer graveside memorials.
Art Stone Memorials was launched ten years ago by stone mason Oleksandr Burlaka – operating from a workshop in Drakelow and a showroom in Stapenhill.
Information about its full range of memorial and cremation stones, graveside ornaments as well as pet memorials and slate house signs are now available at all Wathall’s offices where families can discuss their wishes alongside making funeral arrangements.
The joint working also includes creating carved bricks which are placed in the dedicated memorial area at Pride Park stadium as part of Wathall’s partnership with Derby County Football Club’s Rams Remember programme.
Helen Wathall MBE is the fifth generation of her family to head up Wathall’s which has served local communities since 1858.
She explained: “We know through our on-going relationship with families and through our Dandelions Bereavement Support programme just how important it is for families to have a high quality and lasting memorial as a focal point to remember their loved ones.
“Working with Art Stone Memorials completes the service that we are able to offer families when they need us.
“It eases the burden at a traumatic time in their lives by addressing the graveside memorial requirements as part of the funeral arrangements rather than having to re-visit this at a later date and interrupting their grief journey.
“Furthermore, people who want to register their funeral wishes free of charge with us or take out a pre-payment funeral plan can also indicate their own wishes for graveside memorials to help their family’s decision making in the future.
“I have always been impressed with the attention to detail and the compassionate approach that the whole Art Stone Memorials team take to their work and I am delighted that we will be working much more closely in the future.”
Art Stone Memorials have been serving local communities since 2010 with the design, creation and installation of new memorials as well as renovating and cleaning existing memorials.
Accredited by The National Association of Memorial Masons and the Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers, the highly experienced team combine quality craftsmanship with the latest technology.
Oleksandr Burlaka continued: “Creating, updating and refurbishing memorials is not just combining creativity with attention to detail. There are a wide range of regulations surrounding making and erecting gravestones and memorials to ensure that they remain looking good and solidly in place for many, many years to come.
“We take pride in working with families to create and restore memorials to their loved ones at a price that they feel comfortable with and it is always hugely satisfying that the work we do today will still be around for future generations to see.”
For more information, visit www.wathalls.co.uk and www.art-stone.co.uk.