AN EMBALMER from Minehead has won a prestigious national award for her outstanding services to the bereaved at this year’s Good Funeral Guide award ceremony.

Liz Davis, 47, was presented with the award at the ceremony in Bournemouth, by Pam St Clement, who played Pat Butcher on Eastenders.

Mrs Davis, who works as a freelance embalmer, said: “Normally people say they don’t deserve such awards but I think I do. It was just fantastic to win this award.

“I really do care about the embalming that I do and have always made it my intention to be the best possible embalmer.

“Now I have been recognised for this achievement and I feel very proud. I dedicated my award to my late husband John Davis who taught me everything I know about embalming and my father who died last July. They would have been so proud of me.”

The awards were part of a weekend of events and talks from experts in the funeral industry.

Charles Cowling, author of the Good Funeral Guide, said: “Some of the nicest, most decent, most professional people in Britain work tirelessly in the service of the bereaved. We want to tell their stories and say thank you.”

Liz said getting involved in embalming was almost a mid-life crisis for her, having previously worked as a hairdresser for 16 years.

She said: “I’ve been interested in the funeral business since I was about 16 but I only started embalming back in 2000.”

Liz has also recently taken up taxidermy of mice and rats and has appeared on the Russell Howard show for her quirky work.

She added: “It was an experience because Russell hates mice so as soon as he saw what it was he backed away. My work is quirky and unusual but there are people who appreciate it.”

You can see some of Liz’s quirky taxidermy work on the Alan Titchmarsh show on October