Julian Price, aged 57, retired in October of last year. He quickly found himself bored being out of work, and so decided to start up a business. Having searched online for business advice, he came across PRIME Cymru. Julian then attended one of Abertillery’s 50+ jobs fair, where he met Development Officer Mike Evans.  

Julian arrived at the jobs fair with his business idea in mind: grave tending. Having worked in the mental health sector, he had encountered a surprising amount of people who were feeling down about their inability to maintain the upkeep of their loved one’s graves. Julian found himself wanting to help these people, so once he was retired and looking for a business idea, he thought it was the perfect time to fill this gap in the market.  

Carnation Memorial Maintenance now offers a range of services, including cleaning and maintaining of headstones, putting on new flowers, and total rebuilds of gravestones that haven’t been maintained. He is an official member of The Association of Grave Tenders, following all regulations on how to care for the gravestones correctly. Julian said it is incredibly rewarding to feel as if he is helping people with his services. A lot of his customers reach out because they have become unable to visit their loved one’s graves, so they feel reassured to know they are still being taken care of. Julian sends the customer a before and after photo of his work, which the customers really appreciate.  

Julian credits Mike’s help as a major part of getting his business going. “If it wasn’t for Mikes help with the business it wouldn’t have got started. He helped me put together a business plan, which I would have really struggled to do on my own. That business plan then qualified me for a council funded grant, which covered all my start-up costs.”  

Carnation Memorial Maintenance has been up and running for just 4 months and Julian is very pleased with how the business has progressed so far. His grave tending services are available in Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Monmouthshire areas. If you’d like to enquire, you can give Julian a call on 07729 774761 or email info@CarnationMM.co.uk.  

PRIME Cymru can offer you support in setting up your own business, get in touch to find out more. Call us on 01550 721813 or send us an email: enquiries@primecymru.co.uk.