MAB seeks to feature a Mason on a regular basis. “Spotlight” is open to all masons. If you would like to submit an entry or would like more information, please email: mab@oneismore.com and include in the subject line: "Spotlight".

Photo courtesy of Martin Figura

In 1980, Glen Thain completed his apprenticeship for stonemasonry. Now, 28 years later, Glen is a foreman stonemason and still working at the same family-run business that he started with; Arthur Jary & Son’s Limited.

Founded in 1899, Arthur Jary & Son’s Limited has been owned and operated by four generations. Today, Glen is an indispensable part of the firm; “without Glen’s enthusiasm for his work, the memorial side of our business would not be where it is today” states Debbie Jary, great – granddaughter to Arthur Jary, Director and Company Secretary to the firm.

The family business has five branches with the main memorial showroom and head office in Great Yarmouth. Although all their staff has a good working knowledge on memorials and what is allowed in the local cemeteries and churchyards. However, more complex requests are referred to Glen who adds a more personal touch by visiting the customers to find out their specific needs. Glen finds this an important part of the business claiming, “we try to tailor our stones and designs to meet the individual customers requirements.”

Arthur Jary & Sons mainly supplies granite memorials, but they are now finding that a lot more people request different styles and colours. “We always try to encourage customers to have ornamentation as this really personalises the memorial,” insists Glen, “we have our own computer upon which we generate the stencils for the memorials.” All their work is carried out ‘in house’ and although a vast majority of the new memorials are sandblasted, they can still produce hand cut inscription.

Technology has been a massive development in the industry. Glen reminisces about when he first started, “the department had six people working on the memorials using traditional hand-cut lettering techniques. However, with the advent of new technology such as computer generated sandblasting the department now manages with just two of us.”

Glen is a dedicated family man with two daughters and a son. In his spare time he enjoys watching motorbike racing and is a dab hand at DIY.

To contact Glen or for more information:

Email: info@arthurjary.co.uk

Website: http://www.arthurjary.co.uk/

Address:

Arthur Jary & Sons Ltd

213 – 214 Northgate Street

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

NR30 1DH

Telephone: 01493 844 363

Chloe Lymn Rose

Having grown up in the funeral industry it was only natural that as a child Chloe Lymn Rose’s first question in her French lesson would be; “how do you say ‘funeral director’ in the French? “

Her fascination with the industry began with her childhood after school job at the family business, Ernest Smith Nottm Ltd., where she would regularly assist her mother with pulling the rubber letters from the stencils before they were stuck on the memorial stones.

Today, Chloe is 27 years of age; and is a professional retail memorial mason at Ernest Smith. “I perform all of the administration duties, assist with sales in the showroom and with stencil cutting and print-outs in the workshop” she explains.

However, working in the family business wasn’t her initial plan. After completing her A levels, Chloe left home to attend University of Leeds where she studied Genetics. After graduating in 2001, she spent the next four years working at Barclays Bank Customer Services in Leeds City Centre. “I worked there in several roles; cheque clearing and unpaids, administrator for the customer service centre and general dogs body!” she says with a giggle. So, while working at the bank, she decided to take the theory component of the British Institute of Embalmers qualifications. Following completion, she moved back to Nottingham to take over a recently vacant position at Ernest Smith.

Ernest Smith was set up by A.W.Lymn’s son Harold, along with Mr. Ernest Smith, with the intention to provide their clients with a continuous and thorough service throughout the process of dealing with the death of a loved one. Today, it is still run as a sister company with the help of Chloe, and her cousin Ben, two of A.W.Lymn’s great great grandchildren.

As a young female, Chloe certainly stands out in the traditionally male-dominated industry. She has, however, noticed that there has been a steady increase in young females entering the business over the past couple of years. “Some of the wholesale suppliers we deal with have females working for them of a similar age to me. Traditionally men have taken over family businesses, but as time times goes on, I do feel that more women will become involved, and begin to manage their family businesses in the industry,” she says.

When asked about her future professional plans and whether she thinks of ever moving on to something new, she says “not at present, but with us being a sister company of A.W. Lymn the family funeral service, there is always an option for future progression into that area of the business.”

Chloe is a woman of many talents, and cherishes her free time. She has her International Certificate of Competence in Power Boating for both inland and costal waters, plays the piano, enjoys horse riding, socialising with friends, and shopping. This year, just as they did in 2006, Chloe and her mother, Penny Lynm Rose, the newly appointed President of NAMM, will run the Race for Life to raise funds for Cancer Research.

You can contact Chloe Lymn Rose at Ernest Smith at:

Ernest Smith, Sheriff House, Bath Street, Nottingham, NG1 1DF
www.lymn.co.uk
Tel: 0115 911 4411

AN AWARD-WINNING entrepreneur is carving out a successful career after swapping test tubes for chisels.

Jamie Borthwick was set to be a chemical engineer before a summer job at a stonemason’s made him think again. The 26-year-old now runs Borthwick Marble and Granite - a thriving memorials and kitchen worktops company which recently scooped the Retail category at the Hartlepool Business Awards.

It’s all a far cry from Jamie’s student days when it appeared a career in engineering was on the cards. He explained: “I originally wanted to be a doctor and had the grades but ended up studying chemical engineering at Newcastle University. During the summer, I would help out a relative at a stonemason’s and found myself with more and more work. A lot of my mates from university can’t believe what I have done but they are very impressed with how far the business has grown.”

Jamie graduated in 2002 and initially went to work for Billingham-based biotechnology company Avecia. But he continued to feel a yearning for stonemasonry and eventually decided to concentrate all his efforts on the memorials business.

But the dad-of-two said he has no regrets at giving up a promising career as a chemical engineer. “Running your own business gives you a lot of freedom and whatever you do is your own destiny. It also allows me to be more creative and if I hadn’t tried it, I would never know,” he said. “I have had a lot of support from my wife Sarah and my family who have always been there for me. My dad has always worked and has a very strong work ethic and that has been passed on to me.”

Borthwick Marble and Granite is based at Unit A, Cromwell Business Park, Cromwell Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7LR. Tel. (01429) 223292. www.borthwickmarbleandgranite.co.uk

Jenny Gregson

Established in 1899, J Childs & Sons Ltd is a family run business. Jenny Gregson is the fourth generation of the family to become its managing director.

“We view each memorial individually. Our main aim is to create a memorial to suit the client’s individual requirements andspecifications”, says Jenny Gregson. The company specialises in producing new memorials for cemeteries and Churchyards and additional inscriptions on existing memorials. The company employees a team of six people, allowing it to offer additional services including re-fixing of memorials and cleaning and renovation of existing memorials, commemorative plaques and house names.

Speaking about the industry Jenny highlights what she sees to be the biggest threat to reputable retailers, “‘Cowboy’ masons sell at low prices because they do not carry out their work to recognised industry standards and sometimes fix memorials without Burial Authority permission or paying the necessary fees. This makes it impossible for the reputable mason to compete and exploits the bereaved.” Jenny, who helped establish the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) in 2004, says moves are being made to combat this through BRAMM, which aims to establish a network of nationally accredited businesses and registered fixers that will ultimately replace individual Registration Schemes.

Jenny doesn’t see the regulations in her area as being overly strict. She says, “There is a great resurgence in requests from the public for kerb surrounds and there are many differences in regulation regarding permission for this and sizes allowed. Church regulations regarding materials can often cause problems for the bereaved public as most people are unaware of any restrictions until after the funeral when they start to think about memorials and I think more can be done to alleviate this problem. From our point of view we don’t have any problem working within the regulations as we work in all materials.”

Jenny has a great passion for the memorialisation industry and would like to see standards being raised in all areas, “The industry is working hard to raise standards in the fixing of memorials. I would like to see a similar emphasis on the way a memorial is sold. Product knowledge in the retail sales area is often under-valued and sadly lacking.”