A popular business based in Carlisle will celebrate its fifth anniversary this weekend, while its owner prepares to hand over the Cumbria Woman of the Year award for 2023. 

Jill Glencross, who won last year's award for her incredible dedication, kindness and hard work before, during and after the pandemic, became the owner of her eponymously named funeral director business on October 8, 2018. 

After 24 years of working in Pathology at Cumberland Infirmary, Jill left to work for Walker's Funeral Directors, which is owned by the national chain DIGNITY and is based on Wigton Road in Carlisle, achieving her childhood dream of becoming a funeral director in the process. 

Jill decided in 2018 that the time was right to set up her own Independent Funeral Directors in Dalston and she now cares for over 400 families, having cared for 82 in her first year.

The mother-of-two runs the business alongside her husband Russell Hind, who she married in the middle of the pandemic, on July 30, 2020, which was also Russell's 60th birthday!

She started with just four casual staff members but now employs 19 members of staff in total, which represents the significant growth of the business in the past five years, while it has also been number one among the top-rated funeral directors for the last two years.

Her business is the only funeral director in Carlisle that is accredited by both SAIF (National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors), for whom she is now a charter executive, and NAFD (National Association of Funeral Directors), something which Jill feels is incredibly important, especially with the business being unregulated. 

She said: "With the business being unregulated, this was extremely important to me to make sure we were caring for families to the highest of standards and we are inspected for this yearly."

Less than two years after setting up her business, Jill was forced to deal with the immense pressures of the pandemic, and her emotional video pleading with people to stay at home would go viral.

At one point, she and her team were dealing with 28 families and working for 16 hours a day, while she also sadly lost her father Mike Brown in 2021, something that had a 'huge impact' on her.

And yet, Jill still found the time to provide support to those who were struggling with selfless acts of kindness, such as leaving Christmas gifts at secret locations with clues as to where they could be found on social media.

These gifts, which ranged from flowers to chocolate hampers and champagne, helped to put smiles on the faces of people in the darkest of times.

This kindness was one of many reasons why Jill was nominated, and eventually crowned, Cumbria Woman of the Year 2022, something she described as a total honour. 

She said: "It was a total honour to win Cumbria Women of the Year and totally unexpected.  The reasons for winning were not just because of things I did during the pandemic. I set up a social group well before the pandemic for people struggling to get out.  We meet on the first Tuesday of every month at The Auctioneer in Carlisle from 7 to 9pm. This has gone on for over four years now. It is not bereavement support, just a nice get-together with good food and crack! 

"I have also collected Easter eggs, and selection boxes every year since I opened and distributed these throughout the community. We have raised thousands for Eden Valley Hospice and Hospice at Home, recently climbing Blencathra raising £5,500. I am a Patron for Carlisle Youth Zone and was asked to become an Ambassador, which I now am."

This month will see Jill officially hand over her title as Cumbria Woman of the Year, and she is excited for the event. 

She said: "It will be nice to see another inspirational lady win! I was amongst many many wonderful ladies last year. I actually was speechless (for once) when I won. I was also very nervous for the whole event.  This year I can relax and enjoy it!"

Kindness is clearly an attribute that comes naturally to Jill and plans are already in place for the opening of this year's Christmas memorial tree on Friday, December 1.

Jill said: "This is something we do every year. Last year we had a 16-foot tree!  We have carols, Santa, mulled wine, and mince pies! I'm hoping this year will be a great event and also raise money for charity. Anyone is welcome to come and place a tag on our tree in memory of their loved one."

The 32nd anniversary of the Cumbria Woman of the Year will take place on Wednesday, October 11 at The Belsfield Hotel in Windermere.