British man earns first house by clearing graves as a side job

A regular person might not dare to go to a cemetery, or feel a bit squeamish at the sight of graves, but a man in the UK has made clearing graveyards his side job. Over the past year, he has cleaned over 300 tombs for others, and the fees he earned allowed him to purchase his first house.

Reported by the South West News Service in the UK, 31-year-old Shaun Tookey from Essex is a tree surgeon. Since May 2023, he started cleaning graves as a side job after work.

He uses his evenings and weekends to clean graves for others, able to clean two to four tombs a day. The fees he charges depend on the extent of the cleaning required. For deep cleaning, he charges between $187 to $312, and if it includes repainting inscriptions and decorations, the fee goes up to $437 to $562.

Tookey said, “I am working hard to run a successful business and provide services that most people cannot. It is a very satisfying job and very rewarding.”

He added, “Being able to help those who don’t know how to clean their loved ones’ gravestones is great. Many people are not aware of this service.”

He mentioned that this job brought stability to his family, allowing them to save money and purchase their first house last December without having to rent anymore.

He mentioned that some of his clients come through word of mouth, while many come from social media. He also distributes flyers and cards to attract business.

He said, “Most of my (promotion) work is done through social media, which is a huge platform, and my videos have improved a lot.”

He also said that this side job is a significant achievement for him. Knowing that his business is successful gives him a great feeling.

He said, “It provides me with a stable income to support my family, something we didn’t think was possible in today’s age and time.”