Forest-themed hearse 'a fitting tribute' for fan

Wayne Lambord said the Forest-themed hearse had its first run-out earlier this month

A woman whose twin sister was the first person to be taken to her funeral in a Nottingham Forest-themed hearse said she was proud to give the lifelong fan "a fitting tribute".

Kay Stallard booked the specially-designed vehicle for her sister and Forest supporter Glenis Rose for her funeral at Bramcote crematorium on 13 October.

The 75-year-old said her family were touched by the response from members of the public, which helped to make a difficult day memorable for the right reasons.

Funeral director Wayne Lambord said he had the idea to decorate a hearse after helping with arrangements for the funeral of another Forest fan.

The old and new crests have been used for the design on the bonnet

Ms Stallard said they were offered the chance to use Mr Lambord's newly-decorated hearse when they were making the preparations for her sister's funeral.

"To be honest it was a no-brainer," she said.

"I was with her sons at the time, and we all decided it was a fitting tribute as Glenis was a lifelong Nottingham Forest supporter.

"The fact that she was the first one was great... it was so unique, and it was so Glenis."

Ms Stallard said the drive from her sister's house in West Hallam to Bramcote crematorium was especially memorable as motorists and passers-by reacted to seeing the unusual vehicle.

"We were driving to the crematorium and passed another hearse, and the driver turned her head around so far I thought there was going to be an accident," she said.

"We had to smile, because we couldn't believe it.

"It will leave us with memories forever."

'Immense' response

Mr Lambord, a funeral operative who has worked for the MA Mills for 15 years, said he knew "absolutely nothing about football" himself, but was inspired to create the hearse while he was arranging a funeral for a stalwart Forest supporter.

He bought the hearse new from Manchester, then had it wrapped and redesigned in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and said it had since "gone crazy on social media".

"I went to fetch a gentleman once, and in his bedroom was just Nottingham Forest everywhere," he said.

"I was just chatting to his wife and she said 'what can you do for a Nottingham Forest funeral?' And I said we can do the scarves, the coffin, the flowers, shirts.

"She said 'it's a pity you don't do a hearse as he'd have loved it', and I was thinking about it and thinking about it, and then my wife said 'Wayne, you either do it or just shut up about it'."

Mr Lambord, 54, said key figures from Forest supporters' groups were crucial in helping him with the rebadged hearse, adding the feedback from supporters "has been absolutely immense".

"The first day we took it to Nottingham Forest to buy some ties, and the minute we pulled up there were cameras flashing everywhere," he said.

"The family [for the first funeral] was absolutely amazed - they couldn't thank us enough, it made their day more special, and that's what it's all about."