LEIGH'S first female funeral director has returned to the business after a break of 17 years.

Lynne Wilkinson has taken charge of the latest R Banks and Sons (Funerals) Ltd, branch which opened in Railway Road last year.

And she is no stranger to the building, she wrote history there when she was promoted to the top job at Monks Funerals Service.

After a week in charge the 52-years-old undertaker says she's delighted to be back, and is inviting her old pals to pop in and see her.

Lynne, who lives in Leigh, became involved when she got a job as a cleaner at Sankeys in Hope Street and when they took Monks' over in 1984 she was transferred to Railway Road as a receptionist and trained to become a funeral director and embalmer.

When "the big boys" took over in 1989 she decided to leave and started working as a trade embalmer travelling the country to carry out the task for undertakers who did not have their own staff.

Two years ago she found the heavy job had become difficult to cope with and for a while worked for an electrical wholesaler in Atherton, but found the office work was not to her taste.

When she was offered her new post by the owner of Banks', Brian Halliwell, a local independent undertaker, she jumped at the chance to build up the Leigh end of the business.

She said: "It's great to be a funeral director again. People may think it's an awful job, but I love it. I get a lot of pleasure from doing my best to help people at the worst times in their life."

Lynne's involvement never ended with the funeral. Customers dropped in to see her for a drink and a chat long after their partners had died and she was always available to give cookery trips to lonely widowers struggling to cope.

Lynne said: "When they stopped coming to see me I knew they were all right. People are very vulnerable when they lose someone close and it often helps to talk to someone outside the family,

"I always told them to pick up the phone if they had any problems and I'll work in the same way again."

Lynne says she's not afraid of death, she's just frightened of losing the people she loves. And she's heard all the corny jokes about a dying trade and a dead end job, but in her navy pinstripe suit and white blouse uniform she's raring to go.

She said after Monks closed the premises became a carpet shop for a while, but that closed down and the building was unoccupied until Banks bought and completely renovated it.

She said: "People can drop in to see the beautiful chapels of rest, the monumental show room which has a mural to make it look like a churchyard, a coffin showroom and a leather suited foyer and reception area - and to see me again."