A FAMILY-RUN funeral group has celebrated a staggering four decades of serving the community. 

The Hunnaball Family Funeral Group, led by Trevor Hunnaball and his wife Melanie, has been in business for an impressive 40 years.

Recently they were joined by family, friends and colleagues at a special celebration at Colchester Rugby Club which commemorated the milestone.

The firm has more than a dozen branches across Essex and Suffolk, including one in Colchester, in Mersea Road. 

The latest celebration comes after founder Trevor marked his own personal milestone of 65 years in the industry in 2022, before being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NAFD in July.  

It also comes alongside Mr Hunnaball’s 50th anniversary as a member of the British Institute of Embalmers. 

Back in 2018 Melanie and Trevor raised nearly £15,000 for Colchester Hospital's cancer centre campaign.

They were inspired to throw their support behind the project, which was launched to establish a new and better environment for cancer patients, after Trevor was treated.

The Collingwood Centre, costing £3.25million and offering chemotherapy and haematology unit, eventually opened in 2019 after years of fundraising.