Funerals

As a Funeral Celebrant I work with my clients to create a personalised ceremony, driven by the wishes, beliefs and values of the deceased person and their family.

Every funeral service is unique and uses your words to meet your specific wishes. This may include religious or spiritual content or none. You may prefer the tone to be formal or less so. Poetry, readings and music can reflect the person who is being remembered and symbolic actions can involve family and friends. Alternatively, a simple service can be a fitting commemoration. The ceremony will capture the essence of the person and tell the story of the unique life that has been lived, which often includes humorous stories and anecdotes.

I work with Funeral Directors and can also be contacted directly, offering:

Funerals (at a crematorium/cemetery or elsewhere)
Child & baby funerals
Green burials
Interment (ashes burial) and scattering of ashes
Memorial services
Military services
Passing Over Ceremonies (long-term grief support)
Pet commemorations
Tribute writing

Candle lighting at Bramcote Crematorium

A Circle Ceremony for a baby funeral and a semi-circle for an intimate gathering. With both of these configurations I sit with the family for a more informal approach

I aim to meet my clients’ individual needs; some benefit from emotional support while others prefer their celebrant to have a low profile. I enjoy meeting people from a broad range of backgrounds and offer an equally broad range of ceremonies from traditional civil funerals to the more alternative and contemporary.

This could be anything from a rock singalong to weaving in a theme meaningful to the individual. For example the Royal British Legion offer their services free of charge with elements such as the Reveille and Last Post to honour those who have served in the military.

With my holistic and performance background I can provide guidance for managing stress and tools to help a person prepare if they are reading the tribute at the funeral. For trauma or bereavement support I can signpost to organisations which offer private treatment such as EMDR as well as free resources online.

Thank you, lovely Nell, for your great help and considered care given to the
Celebration of Life ceremony. Your presence and grace is a gift to any gathering and we are all very grateful that you held the space just as we wished.

For more testimonials please follow my facebook page:

Tribute Writing

When a person dies their next of kin will have the task of making arrangements for their funeral, which usually includes contacting a funeral director and being referred to a minister or celebrant.

The officiant will meet with the family to discuss their preferences for the funeral and to find out all about the deceased person. Some family members may not be able to piece together all the details of the person’s life and, in the days following a bereavement, the duties and decisions required can feel overwhelming.

I work with families to create a personalised farewell for their loved one. The most important part is writing the eulogy, also called the tribute or life story.

Preparing our own tribute, or writing notes for this, can make things as easy as possible for those we leave behind. It also means that our life has been recorded as we wish - including the things most significant to us.

As well as a standalone tribute writing service at the time of the funeral, I offer autobiographical tribute writing with individuals who are giving it some thought in advance. The document is saved securely and the client can share a copy with someone close or it can be stored with a Funeral Director. When the time comes, the tribute is brought up to date and appropriate opening and closing words added. The ceremony can be led by a celebrant, relation or friend as preferred.

A client reported that she found the process therapeutic and enjoyed reflecting on her life so far. Please see my facebook page for more reviews.

Nell, that’s beautiful. I have warm and loving tears for myself reading my own tribute. Thank you so much for helping me with this process.

My Fees

The service I provide includes my visit to your home to find out about your loved one and to discuss your choices for the ceremony. The meeting lasts about two hours. If you're having one, I prepare the draft Order of Service which I send with your ceremony choices to the Funeral Director. I write the ceremony script including the tribute (eulogy) which I send you for your approval and I conduct the service on the day. My fee is usually collected by the Funeral Director and is included as part of the cost of the funeral as a whole.

If you are organising the service yourself, without instructing a Funeral Director, I will discuss my fees with you during our initial phone call. If you’d like me to conduct a scattering of ashes or other ceremony at a later date, I will make you aware of any additional costs at our meeting.

I'm unable to support lantern or balloon releases but can suggest environment and animal-friendly alternatives.