A family owned and operated funeral directors has brought two more funeral homes into it’s fold, after taking over a well-established North Nottinghamshire business.
A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service has taken on G.D. Hall Funeral Director’s branches in Tuxford and Retford — marking it’s fourth acquisition in three years.
Directors of the fifth-generation family business — established more than 119 years ago — have been working to a strategic plan to widen the company’s footprint across the East Midlands, and it’s recent acquisitions also included Radcliffe-on-Trent’s M.A. Mills in 2023.
A.W. Lymn chairman Nigel Lymn Rose, G.D. Hall owner Graham Hall, and A.W. Lymn managing director Matthew Lymn Rose. Photo: Supplied
Managing director Matthew Lymn Rose said: “We’re thrilled to have been trusted with taking forward G.D. Hall’s two established branches by owners Graham and Diane, who have led their business with integrity, compassion and an extremely high level of diligence since 2009 when they first opened.
“It always has to be the right ‘meeting of minds’ when we look to acquire a new location for our business and that is exactly how it unfolded with the Halls. Their commitment to doing the best and right thing for each and every family they serve chimed precisely with our ethos at A.W. Lymn and we knew we wanted to take their business and forward into our next chapter, protecting and honouring the Halls’ legacy in Tuxford and Retford.
“The funeral industry is evolving rapidly and, concerningly, currently is less regulated than many other industries. In such a context, being able to offer our generationally-trusted services as far afield as we can is a driving force for our business. We hear of people being misadvised, wrongly directed and left to grieve in ways which are damaging to our collective mental health. We know that our experienced and kind team of funeral directors, which is now more than 150 strong, are best placed to support people when they are in their darkest hours and in need of practical, care-driven and unfalteringly excellent funeral care.
“By deepening our branch network into North Notts even further, we hope to support more people with the trusted A.W. Lymn way and ensure every person who needs funeral advice and support in and around Tuxford and Retford know they can count on us to be there when it matters most.”
Alongside it’s two branches, G.D. Hall has a fleet of Mercedes E Class, two estate cars, and a team of casual bearers. It conducts around 100 funerals a year.
Graham Hall, who established his funeral business in 2009 after a varied career running a newsagency, as a magistrate and formerly as a senior mining surveyor, said: “We’re really pleased to be handing over the reins of our business to Matthew and the A.W. Lymn family.
“For me, it was always going to be a family firm who took forward our family firm — because in our industry, people are at the heart of all we do. It was clear when I first met Matthew that he understood this, and in fact it actually felt like we’d known each other for a long time even though we’d just met.
“We’re delighted about A.W. Lymn’s commitment to keeping our legacy going in Tuxford and Retford and know our business, and the customers we serve, are in the safest of hands with Matthew and his team.”
Over the course of 2026 it is A.W. Lymn’s intention to re-brand the G.D. Hall branches and, alongside a new branch in Worksop, create a new A.W. Lymn sub-area for Mansfield.
