Funeral firm marks 160 years business

It all began with a horse-drawn taxi when 22-year-old George Jennings founded his own funeral directors in 1848.

And today 160 years of the family-owned firm Jennings in Wolverhampton are being celebrated. Since its humble beginnings, the business, always based in Horseley Fields, has been passed down through five generations.

It now employs 25 people and has seen funerals move from horse-drawn carriages to vintage vehicles and modern hearses.

Members of the public were invited to an open day on Saturday to see doves released and listen to a bagpiper to mark the company's special anniversary.

The last three members of the Jennings family, Roger, Phillip and David, have now handed the running of the business over to their employees.

Glen Speak, regional manager of the company, said: "It is an outstanding achievement for any business to serve its local community for so many years.

"There is a lot of pride from all the staff here and we look forward to serving Wolverhampton for many years to come. "It all started when George Jennings was taking a passenger in his taxi to arrange a funeral and offered to undertake it himself. From there he set up Jennings and the business has gone from strength to strength."

Jennings recently reported a 50 per cent surge in the number of people pre-paying their funerals because they do not want to pass the cost on to recession-hit relatives.

The company has recently spent £170,000 on a refurbishment of its chapels and reception areas has opened branches at Codsall and Willenhall in the last two months.

The company was sold to Laurel Funerals Ltd in August but all the current employees transferred and it still trades as Jennings.