) A Funeral Celebrant will help a family to celebrate the life and passing of a loved one. The ceremony can be non-religious, semi-religious and spiritual funeral services. This includes cremations, traditional burials and also green natural burials. This approach places greater emphasis on how the person lived their life, their personality traits and incorporates their wishes, songs, readings and poems from relatives and friends. I will also help a family with an internment of ashes by reflecting on the original ceremony and saying a final farewell. Families in current circumstances may also wish to have a memorial service if they have not been able to include extended family and friends at the Funeral due to COVID restrictions.
I will contact and visit a family after being notified of a death and talk through in detail what they would like in the ceremony both practically in terms of requirements at the chapel e.g curtains etc and talking about their loved ones life, memories and stories. They will receive from me poem suggestions if needed and then a draft of the ceremony to ensure the content is correct. I liaise with the Funeral Director to order music, finalise the ceremony content and ensure the FD is completely aware of the running order. ( A bit like being a Project Manager, my old job 😊) After the ceremony I visit the family (normal circumstances) and supply the family with a bound keepsake copy(ies) of the ceremony. I’m then able to signpost them to any relevant support networks that they may need for bereavement support.