Compassionate Care for Every Family
Supporting families with respectful guidance and trusted care.
Independent, Compassionate Funeral Directors
Serving families in Nottinghamshire with dignity.
Personalised Funeral Care Without Compromise
Our independence allows us to operate without corporate constraints, giving us the flexibility to tailor our services to meet the unique needs of every family. Whether you require a traditional burial, a modern cremation ceremony, or a completely bespoke funeral that reflects your loved one's personality and wishes, we are here to guide you through every step of the process. We believe that each life is unique and deserves to be celebrated in a meaningful way.
Meet Our Team
We may be a small independent Funeral Directors, but we have very big ambitions! We want all our families, regardless of what service they have, to feel that both they, and the loved one they are saying farewell to, are being cared for - with respect; with professionalism and with pride.
All of our staff have had background checks to ensure their suitability to work in the funeral industry - these are commonly known as Disclosure & Barring Service checks - DBS checks for short.
There aren’t many of us - but that means we can be flexible; personable and tailor our approach to suit any service.
So let’s introduce you to the team!
Tracy Jane Reynolds
Managing Director / Owner / Celebrant
Tracy Jane, known as Tj to everyone, has been in the industry as a celebrant for over a decade, becoming a professionally trained and insured celebrant in 2022. She recently took over Nottinghamshire Funeral Service when the previous owner, Bernard Leaper, retired at the age of 80! She is working towards a Funeral Director qualification.
As well as doing all the tasks an MD does, Tj still works as the in-house celebrant for Nottinghamshire Funeral Service, but also regularly works with other well known Funeral Directors, often requested to be a celebrant by the families themselves.
She is married with one grown up daughter, she shares her house with three rescue cats and is well known for having bright coloured hair and tattoos. Not your average FD!
Tom Leaper
Director / Owner / Conductor
Tom is the grandson of the original owner - so this is truly a family business (he and his partner Leonie have a young son together. Tom shares ownership of the company with Tj and Leonie.
Tom has been working at Nottinghamshire Funeral Service since 2016 - so don’t let his youthful looks fool you, as he has a wealth of experience in the industry, conducting hundreds of services and looking after the deceased that come into our care.
He takes enormous pride in ensuring every single detail of a funeral service is “just so” - from the flowers and the cars, to paging the hearse to the door of the funeral venue.
Tom is a bit of a rebel when he is off duty - he loves exploring the outdoors mainly in his camper van (and he sometimes makes camp in the most oddest of places…)
He loves his new son; looks after his parrot, Zulu and is just a little bit obsessed with all things Star Wars related!
Leonie Parkin
Director / Owner / Arranger
If you’ve read Tom’s bio, you will know Leonie has a young son with Tom and is adept at juggling motherhood with being available for grieving families. Leonie shares ownership of the company with Tom and Tj.
Leonie is a recently fully qualified Funeral Director (October 2025) - something we are all very proud of.
Leonie is based in our Arnold office, acting as our Funeral Arranger: meeting families at their time of need and guiding them through what is often a stressful and confusing time. She has a secret weapon though - a VIP (Very Important Pet) - our therapy dog, called Bella!
When she is off-duty, Leonie looks after her young son (alongside Bella, and the parrot Zulu, who regularly flies freely in the house she shares with Tom.) And if they have a moment, Leonie and Tj sneak in the odd game of Bingo together!
Alan Cripps
Driver / Bearer / Senior Funeral Operative
Alan has been with the company for a long time. Prior to working with us, Alan was a Casino Manager in Nottingham City for over a decade.
He is often to be found driving up and down the country working with different Funeral Directors on behalf of one of the contracts Nottinghamshire Funeral Service is responsible
for. He clocks up a lot of miles!
When he isn’t driving a private ambulance, he can be found driving the hearse or limo, or acting as a pallbearer - he has even been known to pick up a hoover if needed! He is also one of the staff who mans our 24/7 telephone line. A great all-round essential team member.
Away from the office and the driving, Alan likes to enjoy a glass of wine and takes time to be with his two teenage children. He is also quite fond of Nottingham Forest football team.
Michelle James
Funeral Operative / Office Administrator
The lovely Michelle can be found in the Arnold office when Leonie needs to be a Mum! A parent herself, Michelle is great with families and can often be found re-arranging the window display in our Front Street premises or coming up with new ideas or items to be put on display around the office.
She takes telephone calls and will also help out on house calls or trips to care homes and hospices as part of the on-call team when she can.
Richard Czykita
Driver / Bearer / Funeral Operative
Richard is an Associate staff member, which means he works whenever he is needed, in between his other job that he has as an Ambulance Driver. He acts as a driver, a pallbearer and is regularly on the rota, covering our 24/7 on call line.
Mark Chambers
Driver / Bearer / Funeral Operative
Mark is also an Associate staff member, finding time between caring for his own children to care for our families too! He is often found on the on-call rota. He also drives the hearse and limos and acts as a pallbearer when needed.
Robbie McAdam
Driver / Bearer / Funeral Operative
Rob works as an Associate with us when he is not working as a Mental Health Lead. He is one of our younger team members but is experienced in dealing with people in crisis. He acts as a bearer, a driver and is also part of our on-call team.
Andy Burton
Driver / Bearer / Operative
Last but not least, we have another Associate staff member, our Andy. He may be relatively new to Nottinghamshire Funeral Service (April 26) but he comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience, having been employed at Nottingham City’s Southern Cemetery and Wilford Hill as their Operations Manager for over twenty years!
When not supporting our families, you can usually find Andy on the golf course or soaking up the sun abroad!
Bella
Therapy Dog
Bella, our therapy dog, has the most amazing temperament, somehow knowing if someone needs her to be there for a reassuring pat or cuddle if needed. She is so well-behaved that
she is able to accompany a family during a service if need be, or wait patiently outside to help dry any post service tears. She can also be available to sit with a family during an arrangement. The lovely Bella usually lurks underneath the desk in the Arnold office but she will soon make an appearance if she thinks treats are on offer!
So, there you go - all the staff that currently make up the team at Nottinghamshire Funeral Service Limited. We all have different skills; we all have different education levels and our own little ways of doing things. We are neuro-diverse and proud of it.
But the one thing we all share in common is our care and commitment to families in their time of need.