One of the biggest and sometimes the most important decision on the funeral is the choice of music.

Families can choose what they want and the music should be incorporated into the service. if there is no religious content then the singing of Hymns tends to be put aside for the more modern songs sung by the favourite artist of the deceased.

Receiving feed back from the services I have conducted always makes me feel so humble and honoured with what has been relayed back from families. When someone tells you that they are "so pleased to have found someone so understanding to do the service" makes what I do more important to those who have lost a loved one. Adding a smile and a laugh helps with the process of grief, making life honoured and remembered of those who have passed. That is why I feel privileged to be able to do what I do.

Many people still have a faith or belief but don’t want a minister etc. mainly because they don’t attend church. That is why the use of Civil Celebrants is on the increase in conducting services. Trying to say what you want at the funeral in such a short space of time is very difficult and it is my job to bring what the family say and want into a sense of feeling, for respect for the deceased and giving the family an opportunity to share their memories and times with those who are at the service taking into account the beliefs, values and needs of the bereaved family.  Therefore it isn’t uncommon for celebrants in general to make references and use of hymns, prayers, blessings and an afterlife.

My objective is to give families an opportunity to have a funeral experience that they are in control of rather have it dictated to by way of religion or humanist beliefs. The funeral service is usually conducted at the crematorium but not always as it could be at the funeral directors or room somewhere that is appropriate to the family.

With my experiences in business and doing many speaking events combined with the work I carry out with my church regularly, I believe gives me a slight advantage in dealing with the compassion and the allocated timescales to deliver a service that is full of feeling for the family and the knowledge of the deceased.

The services that I have prepared and delivered are all different and personalised to the occasion or deceased and the family, as it has to be special to them.

The old cliché is that there are only two certainties in life, one is that the government tax everything you have and the other is death. Taxed throughout your lifetime and sometimes in death too, but after wards at the funeral, you could have as little as twenty minutes to say what you want for your loved ones. That is why working with a celebrant can give you some comfort on the day and beyond.

Remember memories are like the fragrance when the rose itself is gone,

Memories you have treasured mean more than riches do.

Remember memories live in words and thoughts that linger on and on,

May your warm and loving memories always console and comfort you.

That is why I have called the business Special and Precious Memories.