As Slough begins to emerge from the Coronavirus epidemic one family business is reflecting on 60 years serving the community.

H.J. Newman Funeral Directors in Stoke Road can boast that a member of that family has been on hand to take care of customers every one of those 60 years.

The founder Harold Newman was one of the last Aldermen of Slough after serving as a county councillor.

Before that he had represented England in a youth football team as a teenager and was a Grenadier Guard for more than 17 years.

His son Eric said: “My father had many historic stories to tell, including his recounts of the occasions where he was responsible for guarding the Queen as a child playing in the Windsor Castle gardens.

“Like many veterans he had many experiences to tell but would never speak of his service during the D-Day and Dunkirk conflicts.”

Harold Newman founded Newman and Sons in 1960 after a history of running several successful local businesses including South Bucks Coaches which was based in the yard where the funeral directors is now based.

He was joined running the business by his son Eric in 1962 and later on by his daughter-inlaw Petula in 1979. Eric and Petula eventually took over running the business in 2002 when Harold died. Today the business remains firmly in the family with the third and fourth generation continuing Harold’s legacy.

Eric said: "Like many other sectors, larger groups have been slowly taking over small independent businesses, but I’m extremely proud to be able to say after 60 years that we remain one of the very few remaining Independent family run Funeral Directors in Slough."

He added that he and Petula would like to thank all our customers and staff over the last 60 years and looked forward to serving the community for many years to come.

About H.J Newman Funeral Directors

H. J Newman Limited [formally trading as Newman and Son] was established in 1960 by Harold Newman