Meet the Team
Ashley Edwards, Adrian Rugman and Thomas Major believe in providing a professional and respectful funeral service. Great understanding of the needs of our clients is most important to us and we are fully aware that our clients appreciate being treated as individuals. Caring for people is what we do best, and we offer a first class service.
Meet the Team
Rod Major
Business Owner and Funeral Director
After spending some time working in the funeral industry, Rod recognised a need for more local independent Funeral Directors and in September 2016 he set up Wells Funeral Services.
Rod is very forward thinking and customer focused, he offers a flexible approach and understanding the needs of his clients is very important to him. He is very aware that clients appreciate being treated as individuals while delivering a professional and respectful funeral service.
He believes everybody is entitled to a meaningful but affordable funeral, this is where his speciality lies, offering a first-class service while ensuring his clients budget is respected. Rod has a first-class record in delivering funerals in a way that ensures his client is happy and with no stress, just a safe professional approach. His aim is to ensure the clients get good value for money, affordable funerals for all.
Nicky Sutton
Funeral Director
In her role as a Celebrant Nicky has been working alongside Rod since 2016.
As the business expanded year on year Nicky became involved in the business outside of her role of celebrant, initially to help Rod but he also recognised the need for a lady undertaker in what is still a very male dominated profession.
She is now fully involved in all aspects of the business, from visiting families to discuss funeral requirements, collecting the person who has died from their home, care home, hospital or hospice, care for the deceased when they come into our care, then delivering the funeral ceremony or celebration of life on the day.
Blake Major
Blake is the son of Rod Major and is relatively new to the business. He moved down to Somerset from Scotland where he had been living with family and working in farming.
At 21 Blake is the youngest member of the team. He works with his father on a part time basis and is learning all aspects of the business from the collection of the deceased and bringing them into our care, pall bearing or carrying duties to meeting clients old and new while representing Wells Funeral Services at Wells Market each Wednesday.
Tiffany Major
Tiffany is the daughter of Rod Major; during the last six years she has worked for three nursing homes in the area, Torrwood and Fletcher house in Wells and another one in Glastonbury. She is now a receptionist at a local doctor’s surgery and also takes on a role within this business.
Tiffany always had a great affinity with the residents she helped to care for and she built relationships with so many elderly people and their families over the years she was in the care industry.
Having a very caring nature Tiffany looks after those who are brought into our care, she dresses and takes care of their hair and make-up if required.
She is dedicated to what she does and carries out this important role with care, respect, and dignity.
Nicky Sutton
Civil Celebrant
Nicky is a qualified and experienced civil celebrant and celebrant trainer. She has led hundreds of funeral ceremonies in crematoriums, natural burial grounds, graveyards, village halls, pub function rooms, clients’ homes, and gardens and even in a stretch tent in a rain-soaked field. She feels it is important for people to be made aware that funerals are not restricted to crematoriums or churches.
Nicky has been working alongside Rod since 2016 and between them they make sure clients receive exactly what they wish to achieve from the funeral they are planning. A good funeral ceremony should be as unique as the person who has died and paint a picture of their lives, it should appeal to the heart, the head and the senses.
Nicky is professional, focused, yet empathetic and patient. She feels very privileged to work with families to create a fitting tribute and goodbye ceremony for their family member or friend.
https://nickysuttoncelebrant.co.uk
https://choicecelebranttraining.com
Jill Edmonds
Bereavement Support Counsellor
Joining Wells Funeral Services as our Bereavement Support Counsellor, Jill brings a unique combination of professional expertise and personal empathy. With over two decades as Head of Music at Wells Cathedral Junior School, Jill has a deep understanding of emotional complexities across life stages. She’s a qualified grief and bereavement counsellor and wellbeing coach, focusing on holistic support encompassing mental and physical wellbeing.
Her personal journey through loss, having faced the grief of losing her husband to cancer, lends a genuine depth to her approach. Jill’s role at Wells Funeral Services is to provide a compassionate, confidential space for expressing emotions and finding balance in times of grief. Known for her patient, understanding, and easy-going nature, Jill is a comforting presence, helping individuals navigate their unique journeys through loss.
Our Pall Bearers or Carriers
The role of a pall bearer or carrier is crucial to a funeral ceremony, our experienced team are on hand on the day of the funeral to ensure the coffin is carried from the hearse into the venue or burial site in a respectful and dignified manner. If family or friends are carrying we will have some of our team in attendance to guide them or step in if required.
The team take a pride in their appearance and approach their duties with professionalism and respect. They are all fully trained in both etiquette and how to carry out their role in a dignified way.
Barry Tinton
Barry recently retired from a career in the manufacturing industry. Running his own business for a number of years, Barry has a wealth of experience which he brings to Wells Funeral Services.
Barry is very comfortable around people, and professional in the role he plays. In addition to pall bearing Barry is involved in many other areas of the business.
David Pannifer
David spent many years working within the meat industry including working as an inspector alongside local authorities ensuring all relevant standards were met. Amongst other roles he has spent some time with the fire brigade setting up a training school and spent some time working in Jersey.
David brings a great deal of experience to the team as he has been in the funeral industry for eleven years, working both as a pall bearer and a driver of the company vehicles.
John Boles
John, 60, currently works part time for NFU Insurance Company and previously worked in the computer software industry.
His hobbies include skiing, golf, guitar and singing.
John is planning to retire at 65, with a view to travelling around the world, with his wife Linda. Before he does retire he is privileged to work as part of the team assisting the families he is serving.
Ross Kirk
Ross Kirk is a professional musician who both sings and plays the 12-string guitar and has performed all over the UK. Ross can regularly be seen performing locally or hosting open mic nights.
Ross joined the company around the time of the pandemic and continues to carry out the role of bearer and driver of the company vehicles.
Steve Green
Steve is a retired Human Resourcing professional. He has worked with us for over 2 years, and feels privileged to be able to contribute to our team and this very important service.
He performs all tasks required of him on the day of the funeral.
Mark Nicholson
Mark is a retired police officer and has several years’ experience in working in the funeral industry through working with other local firms.
Mark is focused, confident and enjoys helping people, he will step in whenever required to assist families or mourners in any way he can.
Justin Stenner
Justin is a local business owner who joined our team after we assisted his family with the funeral of his father.
He recognised the importance of the role and sees it as both an honour and a privilege to have the responsibility of carrying someone to their final resting place.
Jack Carroll
At 18 Jack is our youngest team member, he works full time for a large company in Wells, as his shifts are at the weekend he has time to help us out during the week.
Jack takes his role of bearer seriously and carries out his duties with care andprofessionalism.
Our Support Team
Our Call Team
Goodcall
Goodcall are a small team of mature ladies, based in Wells, who answer the phones for Rod at Wells Funeral Services.
Our job is to reassure families, from the very start of their journey with Wells Funeral Services, that they will be handled with care, compassion and professionalism. No one knows how they are going to feel when they lose someone dear - we're here to make that journey less daunting and more comfortable.
Our Florist
Helen Ford of Poppies of Paulton
Helen started out at Poppies of Paulton age 14 when she joined them for her work experience. That led to her becoming a Saturday worker and then full time in the flower shop when she left school. Studying at college Helen gained her floristry qualification and continued to work at Poppies.
Fifteen years ago, Helen took over the business and is now the proud owner of Poppies of Paulton. Flowers, plants, and floristry have been her life and passion.
Helen and her friendly, fully trained staff offer a caring service and create beautiful floral arrangements from traditional tributes to special personal designs.
Our Videographer
Paul Clegg
Paul Clegg has an extensive career background in Sales and Marketing covering hair and beauty markets and helping independent funeral companies with their marketing.
In retirement he divides his time between mentoring small business owners and developing a growing video and drone business.
For the last two years he has been responsible for supporting families who are not able to attend a funeral with video footage inc. live streaming.
Our Website Designer
Olly Coningham, Tor New Media
For over two decades, Olly has been crafting stunning websites for clients of all sizes - from large organisations to small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. He partners with these clients to design websites that perfectly capture the essence of their businesses and the products or services they offer.
Recently, Olly has been lending his expertise to the Wells Funeral Services website, assisting with Google Ads and SEO efforts to help us reach those in need of our services. With Olly's help, we're making sure that the right people find us at the right time.