Unique and Personal Ceremonies
“You have helped me so much throughout this. You made a very hard thing to do so much easier. Thank you sooo much Shirley, you’re a star"
”Dear Shirley, thank you for making A's service so calm and restful for all who were present."
"Dear Shirley, I cannot thank you enough for the time, care and understanding that you have shown during this difficult time"
“Good morning Shirley, thank you for being the rock that kept yesterday running smoothly, even through unplanned events"
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"I just wanted to say thank your being our Celebrant. We couldn't have found a better person to assist us"
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"I would like to thank you once again for making the service such a lovely, memorable one. You showed such kindness towards my family and your empathy was a great comfort to us."
Hello and thank you for browsing my website. I am an independent funeral celebrant. I am passionate about helping to create memorable and loving good byes for family and friends who have lost loved ones. A funeral is a time for family and friends to remember the person as well as share the sadness and memories with affection and love and often with some humour too. I will be guided by all your wishes as I get to know you and your loved one when we meet to have a chat about their life and the memories and stories that help to create a fitting eulogy and tribute.
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I have led funeral services and ceremonies across all of London as well as in Surrey, Berkshire and Kent.
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Some of the lovely feedback I have been privileged to receive from friends and family can be found below ;
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"Well where to I begin to thank you for kindness care and patience whilst collecting all the stories and poems in order to write my husband's Eulogy.
The service was lovely and I have received numerous compliments about both the service and yourself.
I will be forever grateful for your help."
"Your support, sympathy and kindness, and your quiet wisdom Shirley, meant so much to all of us, and I'm grateful that you were there to guide us through it all."
"I would like to thank you for yesterday, on behalf of the family and myself, the service you gave was lovely and calm, I really appreciate it."
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“Hi Shirley, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did for us and my brother. You were absolutely amazing and you made the funeral much easier for us. On behalf of my whole family we would like to say thank you."
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"Shirley, I would like to thank you for all you did to help Mum’s funeral be a day to remember. Thank you for all your help"
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"Thank you. I have attended many funerals and that was the most memorable and heartfelt"
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"Please keep in touch, that was beautiful and most comforting"
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"Thank you once again for all your support. You were absolutely the best person for Mum's farewell service and made it all so much easier for Dad and me and the family."
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How it all works
My offering includes the following
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Meeting with you and close family members and friends, to get to know more about the person who has died as well as discuss your wishes and ideas as to how you would like the service to be conducted.
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Following our get together, it will be an honour for me to compose a meaningful Eulogy, checking in with you at all times to ensure that the wording conveys the life and love of the person who has passed away.
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I will propose a structure and flow for the funeral ceremony
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Suggest creative elements to the ceremony that would celebrate the person, including readings, poetry and music
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Liasing with the Funeral Director and crematorium or burial staff, to ensure a smooth ceremony on the day
What makes a loving, memorable and healing funeral?
In my experience, when a loved one dies, there is turmoil of emotion, grief, sadness, overwhelming love, disbelief and the inability to grasp the finality of death and the fact that I will never physically see the person again.
As that turmoil of emotion creates a life of its own, there is the blur of life that still has to continue. Meals still have to be prepared and eaten ,errands still have to be run, bills have to be paid. This all feels quite surreal and dreamlike, as life unfolds in its ever present manner.
All thoughts, feelings, conversations and attention is on the loved one who has died. The inevitable has to be addressed. The funeral. This is the last thing we can do, to celebrate and remember the loved one, where all attention is one them. Grief become a more personal and individual journey after the funeral.
In my experience, there is always a mixture of confused emotions at this stage. A dread of thinking about arranging and attending the funeral and a knowingness that this needs to be done as part of the healing and accepting process.
Funerals are an opportunity for everyone to gather together in sorrow, grief, love and comfort. This unity of powerful emotions makes the funeral a powerful ceremony. It is a tribute and last gift to the person who has died. It is a time of remembering, accepting, thanking and letting go.
As a celebrant, I see my role in this incredibly important ceremony as someone who can help the family and loved ones left behind deliver a meaningful, loving and healing goodbye. It is an honour and privilege, to get to know the person who has passed away, through the memories, stories and love of family and friends. From this very intimate and sacred time we spend together, I can prepare a fitting tribute, to celebrate the life and love of the person who has died. I am at the service of the family and loved ones, to ensure that their needs and wishes are met.
