I consider it a privilege to conduct funerals and to have the opportunity to help families say a very personal  farewell to their loved ones. My aim is to prepare a tribute which does justice to the deceased and brings comfort to the bereaved.

Losing someone you love is a very stressful time and so my job is to make the process of putting a tribute together as smooth as possible. Normally I will come out for a house visit to talk through how you would like your loved one to be remembered, help advise on music or poetry, and gather memories from you and any other family members you would like to be involved. I will then write up a tribute which I will send to you for your approval before the funeral.

As with all humanist ceremonies, the emphasis is very much on trying- wherever possible –  to celebrate life. There is no escaping the fact that a funeral is a very sad day, but to be able share happy memories and sometimes even laughter on such a difficult day is a wonderful thing and something that I know means a great deal to families.

Everyone has their own personal feelings on how they want a funeral to be conducted and that is the strength of a humanist funeral – it should be the ceremony that you want and an opportunity for you to celebrate the life of your loved one in the way that you deem to be most fitting.