Owner of a local pet crematorium have started a bereavement café for people struggling with the loss of their animals.
Theresea Williams and her partner Paul opened Mill Cottage Pet Crematorium on Windmill Lane in September 2022.
Since then, they’ve supported families during some of their hardest times, as they say a final goodbyes to their beloved pets.
Mill Cottage offers individual pet cremations, as well as other bespoke services.
Theresea previously worked as an undertaker, then became a funeral director, and joined her husband Paul as a driving instructor prior to the crematorium business.
The pair launched a driving school in 2019, Williams Driver Training, but Theresea was keen to try something new.
She told YorkMix: “Paul would run the driving school and I would go to work in funeral homes, and I kind of just got itchy feet and wanted to have something of a business of my own. Not the driving school though, because it was a bit boring.”
During lockdown they purchased the Heslington Mill Cottage property, and began the groundwork for the business.
“I initially wanted to set up my own funeral home. But to be fair, there’s a lot of them in York, and I didn’t think I could, plus Paul wasn’t too keen. So we compromised,” Theresea revealed.
Take comfort
She noticed the gap in the market four years ago when she lost her own two dogs.
They journeyed to Hull for a cremation service, but she felt as though something was missing.
She said: “The one I found was towards Hull and he’s lovely, we stayed in touch with him. But I didn’t get everything I wanted.
“That’s when I really sort of sat and thought there was nothing in York at all, just nothing. That’s why we opened in the first place.”
Cottage Mill Pet Crematorium is on call 24 hours a day, and offers services for animals from hamsters to 40 kilogram dogs.
Theresea and Paul have welcomed guinea pigs, gerbils, birds, and even fish to their home.
“When people usually go to a different service, mainly via the vets, they have to wait. The point of us being small and keeping it as it is, people don’t have to wait. All cremations are done within 24 hours.
“It brings a lot of comfort to people to actually have their ashes back and get that little bit completed. It’s a little bit like if you have a funeral.
“You’ve got your deceased, you’re waiting for your funeral to take place, and it takes time, and it prays on your mind.
“Well, getting the whole process done and dusted means that people have a chance to then go on and grieve and obviously do things with their ashes, and they get a bit of comfort from it,” Theresea told YorkMix.
She remembered a time where, despite planning to close early due to family commitments, they took in one woman’s dog last minute.
“She was absolutely desperate to have her dog done that day. Yes, it did mean that we had to work late into the night, and I was tired, and I had to rejig everything in the diary.
“I sat and thought to myself, I’ve got a choice, I could say no to her, but I can also make a difference to her. And it did. It made a massive difference to them as a family. That’s what’s rewarding, making a difference to people,” Theresae recalled.
That dedication to service helped Mill Cottage Pet Crematorium win in the YorkMix Choice Awards last month.
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Mill Cottage also offers no upfront cost pet plans. This involves owners coming in to talk about their pet and agree a price for the service.
This way, plans are already in place by the time the pet has passed away, and owners don’t have to go through a difficult conversation whilst grieving. It can also save money with the agreed pricing, with the cost of oil rising.
Theresea and her daughter Georgina have begun to offer bereavement sessions for the pets, following on from their qualifications.
“So we started with a pet bereavement café. A lot of places in York allow us to use their function rooms for free.
“So we’ve had one at Murton Park, a few at Costa, and a couple at the Last Wishes Funeral Home in New Earswick.
“It’s for people that want to come and talk about grieving for their pet, and don’t feel that they can actually do it. Because if people are not pet lovers they tend to think, get another or get over it.”
Despite years of working in the funeral care industry, Theresea still gets emotional during her time with families.
“With pets, it’s nothing but unconditional love, and it seems to create a different kind of sadness and upset.”
She went through a phase of consistently crying at people’s houses, to the point where her face was always red, “I looked like I had serious life problems.”
“I kind of got a grip of myself but I’ll be honest with you, it’s just a matter of deep breaths. Go in, say what you’ve got to say, listen, and kind of keep taking it in. But I still cry.” Theresea said.
Although customers have suggested expanding, hiring externally, or opening up another crematorium, the idea doesn’t sit right with Theresea.
“We won’t actually ever employ anyone, because once you start doing that, it’s not you, is it? When somebody rings up and asks to speak to Theresa or Georgina it wouldn’t be like that,” she said.
“They said you could have one in another city, but I don’t want to. If I can’t just have this here, then I don’t want to do it.”
For more information on the services the team at Mill Cottage Pet Crematorium offer, you can check out their Facebook here.