01/08/2026
A message of reassurance and peace of mind to the families – past, present and future – served by our family business, from all of the Directors at A.W. Lymn:
We have watched the court case involving former Hull funeral director Robert Bush unfold in shock. We have been sickened and disturbed by the detail released during the proceedings. What happened to the deceased, entrusted into his care, and subsequently the damage and hurt caused to their families is beyond belief.
As one of the longest standing and largest independent family funeral businesses in our country, we feel duty-bound to speak out on behalf of the hundreds of other funeral directors who, like us, feel horrified by what we all feel to be a violation of the trust bestowed upon us during the hardest and most painful time in many families’ lives.
Mr Bush will now serve his sentence and hopefully this will bring the families affected some sense of justice – although we know they will never fully recover from the harm he has caused.
When a person chooses to enter our profession, our experience tells that it is because they have a calling – a vocation – to help those who are suffering. But there can always be exceptions, people who abuse the positions, bad actors who seek only personal gain and lack the empathetic drive, the moral conscience and respect for human decency which is at the core of what we do. Mr Bush was simply that. A terrible exception.
Our profession has received scrutiny in recent years for the fact that, as of today, it remains largely unregulated. At A.W. Lymn, we have always welcomed regulation whenever we have been involved in discussions on the topic and we have worked tirelessly, for example during the COVID-19 pandemic hand in hand with Government, to lead our industry forward on all and any regulatory issue. This work at our family business has been well documented by the media. We know that the vast majority of funeral directors also welcome regulation.
The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) of which our Chairman Nigel Lymn Rose MBE is a Past President and our Managing Director Matthew Lymn Rose is the current President of the Nottingham, Derby & District branch, is a membership organisation which only accepts funeral directors which can demonstrate and maintain the highest standards of care. A.W. Lymn are long-standing members of the NAFD, which carries out unannounced visits to ensure its members are upholding these standards of care.
We know that the recent news has been extremely unsettling and disturbing. We feel it keenly. While we know no words will repair the damage done by the heinous acts of Mr Bush, we want to reiterate the message that the acts of one man must not be allowed to damage the selfless - often unseen and unheard - dedication, care, tireless commitment and most importantly comfort and emotional support that hundreds of other funeral directors deliver to families in need of funeral expertise up and down the UK every day.
As we always say at A.W. Lymn: “It will do, will not do.” We treat your family like our own, we don’t rest until we have done every single thing that we can to fulfil the wishes of the families we serve, and we will always, always strive to offer the very best care to every person we are trusted to look after.
To the families of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire: you are all welcome to visit our funeral homes, we will welcome you in with a smile, and the offer of a cup of tea and a chat. You can look around our premises, you can talk to any of our staff, you can speak to the families we have cared for previously.
And most importantly, you can rest assured that we will look after your loved one with the dignity, respect and decency that every one of us deserves.
A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service, August 2026.
