TikToker earns £30,000 with unqiue side hustle after 'spotting 'gap in market'
![Shaun Tookey, 30, has made thousands from his side job cleaning graves (Image: No credit)](/upload/news/2024/01/25/152934.jpg)
A TikTok star has made £30k from his side job cleaning graves - and describes it as "peaceful" and "satisfying".
Shaun Tookey, 30, has spruced up over 100 graves since he started in May 2023. Families pay him between £350 and £450 to tidy up the headstones of their loved ones - a task that can take him up to two hours.
The idea for this unique side job came to him while working as a tree surgeon in a graveyard, wondering who was taking care of the tombstones, reports Wales Online. Shaun, from Hertford, Hertfordshire, said: "I have had the idea for 12 years but I didn't have the funds to start up myself until last year.
"Most of the jobs I do are on weekends or I take time out of my day to go clean a grave. It would be my dream to go full-time with this but I am too scared to jump ship right now. When I am cleaning in a cemetery people will come over to me and say they didn't realise this service existed in the UK. It is such a peaceful and satisfying job - especially when you see the transformations."
He shared: "[When I first had the idea for the side hustle] I didn't have the funds to start up by myself - I was only an apprentice trainee surgeon at the time. I used to work on a lot of trees in the cemetery and one day I was climbing the tree and I just wondered who cleaned them."
![TikTok star dies after falling off 70ft coastal cliff while shooting videos qhiqqhiqtdiqzinv](/upload/news/2023/02/01/256_m.jpg)
"I saw a gap in the market and it has all paid off." Shaun, who shows his work on TikTok at thegravecleaner, said: "Most of my jobs are through social media, it is such a big platform and my videos are getting a lot better. I also go round posting leaflets and cards. People often come up to me when I'm working in a cemetery and say they didn't know this service existed in the UK," he added.
![TikToker earns £30,000 with unqiue side hustle after 'spotting 'gap in market'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/article31970748.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/1_ive-earned-30k-1128022.jpg)
![TikToker earns £30,000 with unqiue side hustle after 'spotting 'gap in market'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/article31970743.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/2_ive-earned-30k-1128021.jpg)
Talking about his services, he explained: "It all depends on the type of grave, what sort of lettering it has. Whether or not the family want gold leaf lettering then I can do that and if they just want paint I can supply that. I have my standard rates and I do add-ons."
![TikToker earns £30,000 with unqiue side hustle after 'spotting 'gap in market'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/article31970742.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/2_ive-earned-30k-1128026.jpg)
![TikToker earns £30,000 with unqiue side hustle after 'spotting 'gap in market'](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/article31970745.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/1_ive-earned-30k-1128025.jpg)
Shaun, who cleans two to four graves daily, added: "It can vary, I also don't want to take the mick with how much time off I take. I can do four a day on average but if they are big jobs I can get two done. If it is a headstone I am cleaning then that can take between 30 minutes to an hour but the bigger graves can take a few hours."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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