About Me
Who are you?
Originally from Newcastle, I moved to West Yorkshire in 2006 and have stayed ever since.
Never happier than when I've got a pint in my hand with some decent music and maybe a pub quiz thrown in. My young son makes such things increasingly difficult but keeps me on my toes in other ways.
I'm partial to watching snooker and Test cricket, also follow Newcastle United. Used to go all over UK and Europe following sport and going to festivals... then became a parent so that lifestyle had to stop!
Why are you a funeral celebrant?
I got into this following the deaths of my parents in close proximity - they died 6 weeks apart in 2015. We gave them both non-religious services and I really "enjoyed" them (if that's the right word?!). I asked the celebrant who took my Dad's service how to get into it...
At the time I was an insurance underwriter and, although my company and colleagues were great, I was pretty bored of it all - the spreadsheets, the meetings, the commute.
So I took the plunge and retrained as a funeral celebrant with Humanists UK in 2016... easily the best decision I ever made! I get more satisfaction from one service than I ever did from 10 years of deadlines and delayed trains.
What's your style?
I specialise in upbeat funerals, preferring to keep things light-hearted and maybe even raise a laugh during an otherwise miserable time.
The best compliment I can receive is when people believe I knew the deceased personally.
I prefer to meet the next of kin in person (although if distance is a factor, we can also do Zoom/Googlemeet), ask various questions about the deceased's life, find out their individual memories, then stitch it together into a personal tribute.
If the family want to say their own words, that's absolutely fine too - I'll gladly help facilitate this
How do I book you?
Most often, your chosen funeral director will book me on your behalf - simply tell them my name and phone number if they don't already have it. They then sort the finer details out with me separately, leaving us to concentrate on the service
It is worth getting in touch with me to check my availability before speaking to the funeral director if possible - feel free to call, email, text or Whatsapp me at any point. This isn't essential but does avoid potential disappointment, e.g. if I have a prior booking.
If you wish to book me directly though, please just get in touch using the details below.