A funeral arranger who joined the industry after a series of personal bereavements has taken top marks across the capital in her exams.

Anji Reeves of Rowland Brothers Funeral Services, Warlingham, scored 84 per cent in her funeral arranging and administration section, the best in London, helping her land the role of secretary of the area’s London Association of Funeral Director’s branch.

Anji revealed she got into funeral directing, after a career in hairdressing, after going to Rowland Brothers as a client.

She said: “It was very important to me to work for a family firm and having dealt with Rowland Brothers through my own experiences, the company was close to my heart and I now feel it is an honour to work here.

“Knowing what it is like to be on the other side of the table gives me a valuable insight. One of the key elements of this job is to assess clients’ needs within the first five minutes of meeting them.”

Anji is also a keen fundraiser walking the Great Wall of China and undertaking a Skydive to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and walked Hadrian’s Wall to raise money for Shooting Stars Hospice.