Headstone cleaning boy enjoys huge response

Ben says his business idea has been mentioned at school assembly

A 10-year-old boy who has started cleaning gravestones said his role has gained him new respect among school friends.

Earlier this year Ben, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, washed his grandmother's memorial and then decided to offer the service to neighbouring families.

He said the national and social media attention which followed has meant "everyone knows who you are".

He also said he was pleased the charity which he gives a portion of his takings to had also seen a surge in donations.

Almost immediately after his family posted about Ben's service - called Guardians of the Headstones - on social media, there was huge response.

Ben said: "I found my mum, at half-five or six in the morning, counting all the responses we had.

"There were almost too many to count, hundreds, maybe thousands.

"People were offering free haircuts, free sweets from a shop, free photography, lots of amazing things."

'Blew up'

The story has also been picked up by various media outlets - a fact which has not gone unnoticed at his school.

Ben said: "My whole school knows because in assembly my head teacher actually showed everybody what I was doing.

"Some of my friends are just a lot kinder to me than they used to be.

"It's just crazy when you've been so important to people's lives you just get treated a bit of higher respect.

"It's just how some people are just so kind and support even some of the weirdest ideas.

"And there's always a bit of good in the world and that's lovely."

Ben has decided 10% of everything he makes will be donated to the charity Stevie Stones, which provides memorials to families who have lost children.

"They used to have four donations every four months," he said. "And since we spoke about them it just absolutely blew up.

"Now they've had four every week and a guy is offered to donate £60 every month."