Funerals with Heart and Soul

Independent Funeral Celebrant in Somerset

A funeral marks a significant event – the end of a unique life, the loss of a loved person, the crossing of a threshold. Imagine a unique event, created with care, weaving together the colourful strands of a life, to express the true nature of the person, giving voice to the loss felt by the community of all those who loved them. This is a funeral with heart.

I am an independent funeral celebrant, trained by the award-winning funeral directors green fuse and working from my home in Somerset.

What I offer you

A unique, individually crafted ceremony.
Honouring of personal beliefs and values, whether atheist, agnostic, spiritual or religious.
Suitable ceremony for cremation, conventional or natural burial, memorial, interment or scattering of ashes.
You can have as much or as little involvement in the creation and delivery of the ceremony as you like.
Guidance and collaboration on an appropriate, alternative venue to the crematorium or church, if that is your preference.

I will

Meet with you face to face where possible.
Listen to you to get a true sense of the person you have lost.
Compose a beautiful, individual ceremony that will be both the celebration of a distinctive life and the tender mourning of a loss.
Help you to find readings and music and other personal touches to make the funeral special, wherever you've chosen to hold the ceremony - in a crematorium chapel, cemetery chapel or graveside, natural burial ground, community space, your home or garden.

Wherever our ceremony takes place, we can include those who can’t be there by:

Reading a written piece that they have sent us.
Playing a recording of them reading their tribute, if they can send that to us.
Playing a piece of music that they’ve suggested or that they’ve recorded themselves
Sending them a copy of the ceremony script so that they can read it and follow along from home at the same time as the ceremony is taking place.

I’m happy to provide a presentation copy of the full script emailed to you ahead of time, so that you can send it out to others before the day of the funeral.

Watching from home…

In a crematorium chapel we can arrange a live webcast of the ceremony and a recording to keep if you wish. Those watching may send a video or audio recording of a tribute to be included in the ceremony. At other venues, such as a community hall, at the graveside, or in your own home, we can use video calling facilities, such as Zoom, to include those who are joining us from home.

Low Cost Funerals and Direct Cremation

It can save money to choose a direct cremation and omit a ceremony in the crematorium chapel. But that doesn’t mean that you have to forego the ceremony completely. Doing that can feel as though you’re not fully acknowledging and respecting the value of someone’s life or the significance of their death. A less costly, but equally meaningful, ceremony can be conducted in a community space or even in your home or garden. Please contact me to discuss the possibilities for your circumstances.

Everyone said what a beautiful service it was

Everyone said what a beautiful service it was and that you spoke with real warmth when recounting D’s life and interests. You included so many details and brought a smile to all our faces when talking about D teaching us practical skills. We couldn’t have had a better celebrant and really appreciate all you did and said to make it a wonderful ‘send off’.

Jane

Genuine, sensitive care.

I am deeply grateful for the service that you provided for me and my family as celebrant for my wife K’s funeral. The genuine sensitive care, dignity, sound advice, decision support and added value which you provided as celebrant was exceptional and very much appreciated at a time when I was feeling lost.

H.P.

You made a very difficult time so much easier and less stressful

Thank you so much for all your help with G’s funeral and the lovely service; her eulogy was beautiful. You have made a very difficult time so much easier and less stressful; we appreciate everything you did for us.

Laura and Lee

You captured the essence of her life

Just a note to express our thanks for the service given to celebrate the life of our Mum. You captured the essence of her life and her personality exactly as the family remembered and wished for. Thank you so much for your time and understanding.

B & E

Thank you for all you did

We just wanted to say thank you for all you did yesterday and all the preparations for the ceremony. We were delighted with the way you held everything together – the tone was just right. People have been giving very favourable comments. We’re so pleased we found you!

Anne, Sarah and Cathy

A cooling and sympathetic nature putting people completely at ease.

Thank you so much for all the preparation and the excellent service provided in T’s Cremation Service; nothing was too much trouble for you, truly a service I shall never ever forget…You really have a cooling and sympathetic nature putting people completely at ease, points which were all keenly observed by the family.’

You captured the very essence of her throughout

I felt so very comforted today during A’s service. Thank you. You captured the very essence of her throughout. How you do that from the bitty-talking-over-each-other- anecdotes, tales and emotion flying about when we met you is phenomenal.

H.F.

What a difference you have made

I don’t think you realise what a difference you have made, in such a positive way, to such a traumatic time for us. You ‘held our hand’ throughout and listened so carefully. The detail you included within the Service was extraordinary. So thank you for your patience, kindness and encouraging words at times when we needed them so much. The funeral was beautiful.

M, J & D

You take extra care of us in times of sadness

We cannot thank you enough for the way in which you delivered Mum’s funeral. Everyone commented on how well it went and that Mum would have enjoyed the day. I know its your job, but feel you do take extra particular care of people and us in times of sadness. Your kindness and understanding at a time in ones life when your emotions don’t always let you think straight, is so much appreciated.

D & J Wilcox

Thank you for the profound sense of comfort

Thank you for the profound sense of comfort – in so clearly recognising the sadness at what should have been for A alongside the making space to say our goodbyes. It was a beautiful service, just so absolutely right for A and those of us fortunate to have the opportunity to be there.

H.F.

Things ran so smoothly

I am particularly grateful for your own wonderful words on the day which absolutely resonated with who K was to us all. Your handling of everyone’s input to the order of service and your pivotal role in ensuring that things ran so smoothly on the day was superb. I would be very happy to recommend your services to any of my family, friends or colleagues.

H.P.

Kindness and Consideration

Thank you so much for your kindness and consideration yesterday. Regardless of people’s beliefs, the service you gave for Mum showed her warmth, kindness, sense of humour and values that anyone would be proud to have. It had certainly an appropriate tone for Mum.

Linda

Just a big ‘thank you’ for the service yesterday

It was beautiful and fitting and everyone commented on what a lovely service it was. Thank you for your patience and preparation as it ensured everything went smoothly, and for your kind words. I was so pleased I read my tribute to Dad. I think he would have been proud of us all for a job well done! We would not hesitate in recommending you to anyone that needs your services.

You made a difficult day much easier for me

Thank you so much for the lovely service that you conducted for J yesterday. It flowed so well and many friends commented that it was “the best funeral they have ever attended”. That was thanks to the way that you conducted the service with sensitivity and passion for your work. I will certainly recommend you to any friends that may need the services of a celebrant. Thank you again, Sally. You made a difficult day much easier for me.

L.E.

Let’s arrange a chat, without obligation, to discuss your requirements…