A Bradford funeral home is the last place where you would expect to find characters like Wallace and Gromit.

But the duo dropped in to help at an unusual open day at Longfield House Funeral Home in Legrams Lane, Bradford, on Saturday.

This Wallace and Gromit, however, were not the plasticine pals made famous by films such The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave, but a pair of Belgian Black horses pulling a hundred-year-old hearse.

The horses were the star attraction at the pioneering event to make funeral services more approachable to the public at the newly-refurbished funeral home.

Funeral service manager David Collingwood, said he wanted to make the day an opportunity for people to get answers to questions about death which they were always too embarrassed to ask.

He said: "It's unusual to have an open day where we just throw the doors open.

"The great English custom is not to talk about death but it's something that everybody has got to face.

"If we were able to dispel a few myths about death, then it's been a good thing."

Also on show at the event was a 1920 hearse which played a starring role in the Thora Hird sitcom In Loving Memory.

The 1920s Austin Six car was originally used as a bread van before its owners decided to convert it into a hearse and graft a horse-drawn hearse carriage, dating from 1821, on the back.

It was driven from Manchester at a top speed of 40mph for the day.

Funeral service manager Richard Wine, said: "We wanted members of the public to be able to visit in an informal atmosphere and see the facilities we have to offer."