ONE of the youngest funeral directors in the country has opened his own business.

Harry Newington did a string of jobs to save up enough money to realise his dream.

Now at just 21 years old, he has launched H J Newington Independent Funeral Directors in Valley Road, Portslade.

He said he was inspired by the care shown to him by funeral staff after the death of his father, Lee, when Harry was only nine.

He said: “It mattered to me what happened to our loved ones when they pass.

“The funeral director that cared for my family spoke with me about what the profession entailed and the best possible way of finding a job.

“What he said inspired me, so once I turned 18, I hunted for funeral vacancies, which I found.”

Harry, who is Brighton born and bred, learned about the business through Green Fuse Training, which runs courses in all aspects of the industry.

He was soon ready to take the leap and start his own funeral home.

He said: “I wanted to open my own funeral home based on the good and bad things I have learnt, obviously making the bad things better. To make everything personal, meaningful and more cost-effective for people in their time of grief, as well as giving the recently bereaved choice on how they said their final farewells.”

Harry, who lives with his partner Sasha, 21, and daughter Darcy, nine months, wants to make his business stand out by making it a more welcoming experience.

He wants his funeral home to be a more relaxed and approachable service for families.

He said: “You get to sit on a sofa rather than at a table which is more relaxing, and there aren’t any dark colours, and we have things that will help spark a conversation in terms of people’s worries than a question and answer situation.”