Bereavement Services Manager, London Borough of Hillingdon

John has been working in public services for more than 40 years, dedicating his career to providing the best possible services directly to local residents.

Having started his career in cleaning services, John became the council's Bereavement Services Manager in 2002 and has worked tirelessly to modernise the service to improve the experiences of his clients.

John has been instrumental in transforming one of the largest crematoriums in the country and establishing a one-stop bereavement service. This has included introducing video links so people worldwide can view services online where it is impossible for them to attend in person, a new memorial garden for babies and accommodating requests to enable personalised services - from a New Orleans marching band, horse and carriages, choirs to personalised CDs.

What sets John apart are his extra efforts, often voluntarily, to help our residents, leading them to nominate him for staff excellence awards in recognition of the service he provides. About his work John says "I realise I can't take away the pain of a funeral, but we can help so it goes as smoothly and stress free as possible."