Michelle Thurston-Balam, DipFD, LSBP
Managing Director/Funeral Director
Michelle was only 21 when she held her first position as a Mortuary Technician, this was after years of gaining work experience and qualifications through the National Association of Funeral Directors. After 5 years as a qualified Mortuary Technician in Somerset, Michelle was ready to move onto becoming a Funeral Director. This started with an independent Funeral Directors in Somerset before moving to be Funeral Director in London where she arranged and conducted hundreds of funerals.
A need to come back home to the North East led Michelle to become an assessor within the funeral profession and completed her own Diploma in Funeral Directing. Not being able to keep watching others do the job she had a passion for, Michelle formed Roseberry Funeral Service. This had been a long desire of Michelle's to do and finally felt that was the ideal time for her. Over the next few years this led to expanding Roseberry Funeral Service in Marske in 2015 and Guisborough in 2022.
Michelle now has a vast knowledge base and a lot of expertise to handle any circumstance, including having personally trained each and every person who has worked for her.
Being supportive of the families she cares for as well as her dedicated team, has lead her to join the Society of Bereavement Practitioners. She also plans to dedicate time to becoming a bereavement counsellor.
Graham Wilkes, DipFD
Funeral Director
Graham is a beloved resident of Redcar and has worked as a respectful and sympathetic funeral director for many years. Graham prioritises taking care of our family during this trying time for them. "Having worked in local communities for many years, helping some of the most vulnerable in our society, I was able to transfer these skills when achieving a long term dream to be a funeral director".
Paige Ridsdale
Funeral Director
Paige is currently working towards her funeral director qualifications through an apprenticeship. She has moved to us, having previously worked at another Funeral Directors, to continue this work and we look forward to giving her all the training and guidance she needs. Paige will make an excellent Funeral Director with her commitment to families to provide the very best care.
​
Paige was recognised for her achievements by being awarded finalist in the 2023 Good Funeral Awards.
Adam Thurston
Managing Director/Accounts Manager
Adam serves as both the accounts manager and the managing director of the Marske office for Roseberry Funeral Service. We all take satisfaction in performing tasks to the best of our abilities, and Adam has finished three years of coursework to earn level 4 AAT (Association of Account Technicians). He is present in our Guisborough office and is always available to help you with any queries you might have.
Kerry Garbutt
Funeral Administrator
Kerry joins our team following a full career within administration. She has well practiced attention to detail and knows from experience what it means to families for everything to be perfect.
Steve
Funeral Assistant
Steve worked for many years withing Redcar and Cleveland Council. His time there included within the bereavement services. When he retired, he joined our team as a funeral assistant. This is a role that has many aspects to it, but Steve's professional and caring nature means he is always the right man to assist.
John
Funeral Assistant
John joined our team wanting to do something more following semi-retirement. He has been part of our team for many years as a bearer. He does this role with great professionalism and care.
Gavin
Funeral Assistant
Gavin joined our team after coming to the North East to be with family. Gavin is retired but enjoys his role with us and caring for families in need.
Neil
Funeral Assistant
Neil joined our team in early 2024 and is following a life long dream of working within the funeral profession. He has great attention to detail and wants everything to go perfectly for each and every funeral service.
Chris
Funeral Assistant
Chris has joined our team in summer of 2024. He enjoys being part of our team and learning how to do his role to the very best. Chris believes the greatest importance is to deliver the highest level of care and attention to detail to the deceased and their loved ones, ensuring a personal service is always delivered.
