Mum's anger after funeral director keeps baby's body at home
A BBC investigation has revealed that a Leeds funeral director has been banned from NHS mortuaries and maternity wards after bereaved families discovered their babies’ bodies had been stored at her home.
Amie Upton, 38, who runs Florrie’s Army — a baby loss support and funeral service she founded after her own daughter was stillborn in 2017 — has been accused by families of keeping infants’ remains in her living room, sometimes near pets, rather than in a regulated funeral environment.
One mother, Zoe Ward, said she was left “screaming” after visiting Upton’s home in 2021 and finding her late son, three-week-old Bleu, placed in a baby bouncer watching cartoons in front of a TV. Another grieving couple, “Sharon and Paul,” discovered their stillborn daughter had been held at Upton’s house without their consent, later describing the experience as “like a horror film.”
Both families said they expected their babies to be cared for in a professional funeral parlour. Instead, they found bodies not always kept in cold storage, as recommended by best practice guidelines (4–7°C).
NHS Trust Tightens Safeguarding
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust confirmed it has since barred Upton from its facilities, saying she is not an approved funeral director and that concerns about her services have been raised with police, safeguarding teams, and the coroner.
Although Upton often worked alongside Philip Gallagher of Gallagher Funeral Services in Headingley — a licensed funeral director authorised to sign out bodies from hospital mortuaries — questions remain about how and why some babies were transferred from his care to Upton’s home. Gallagher did not respond to these specific allegations but acknowledged his working relationship with Upton.
Police said they had carried out “extensive inquiries” into complaints but found no evidence of criminal activity.
Funeral Industry ‘Unregulated’ in England and Wales
Unlike in Scotland, funeral directors in England and Wales are not required to be licensed or regulated by law, meaning anyone can set up a service without formal training, inspections, or safeguards. Trade bodies like the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) offer voluntary membership, which comes with regular inspections — but Upton is not a member of either.
George Roberts, a long-standing funeral director and SAIF member, said:
“At the moment, anyone can print business cards and start trading. Families deserve professional, safe care for their loved ones.”
Government Response
A government spokesperson said ministers were “deeply concerned” by the revelations and expressed sympathy for affected families. Officials confirmed they are considering new statutory rules to raise standards across the funeral sector in England, following recommendations made earlier this year.
Meanwhile, reviews of Florrie’s Army on Facebook remain mixed — some parents praised Upton’s compassion, while others described their experiences as traumatic and unprofessional.
