Hello and welcome to my page.

I’m Avril and I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be part of Humanists UK. I conduct funerals, memorials, weddings, and naming ceremonies, which I consider a huge privilege, and I am honoured that you are considering me. I hope the following tells you what you want to know about humanist ceremonies, as well as giving you a little bit of background about me.

I am a trained and accredited funeral, wedding and naming celebrant with Humanists UK and I can honestly say that even after 30 exciting years of working in advertising and media (BBC Worldwide & Trinity Mirror), this is one of the most thrilling and worthwhile things I have done. I also had a short stint in education cut short after needing to care for my father in his final year of life. It taught me more than ever that how we live our one life now and conduct ourselves on this Earth is what matters most. Celebrating life at all stages is an inclusive purpose we can all share as we seek to treat those around us with warmth, compassion, understanding, love, and mutual respect, irrespective of individual beliefs. I couldn’t be happier in my work now as a humanist celebrant.

I was born and bred in London of Irish parents and love my Irish heritage and its unique sense of family and community. I live in Streatham Hill and conduct funeral, wedding and naming ceremonies in London and surrounding areas, and can also speak French if required. I am happy to travel overseas.

A humanist funeral ceremony marks the death of a loved one by balancing the sadness and the sense of loss with a celebration of the life that was lived and is now ended. This is achieved with thoughtful reflections drawn from family and friends interspersed with appropriate readings and music relevant to your loved one’s life and your own cherished memories.

Grief is a very personal experience and may be one of the most difficult things we ever have to go through in life. The ritual of bringing people together to say goodbye as we remember and celebrate a loved one’s life can form an essential part of recovery after the death of someone close.

A good funeral is incredibly important.  A good funeral can really help us to work through the complex set of emotions that come up when someone has died.

Humanist funeral ceremonies are by their very nature personal celebrations of an individual’s life. Each ceremony is individually written giving you the flexibility to create an occasion that best fits who your loved one really was and what they meant to those around them.

I will work with you to ensure that together we can craft a meaningful, helpful, creative, and most importantly person-centred ceremony with warmth and sensitivity.

A humanist wedding ceremony marks the occasion with honesty, warmth and affection using words and music that are appropriate and personally meaningful to you and your partner, your journey so far and your aspirations for the future. The focus will be on you and your partner, your relationship and what you value, underpinned by the humanist ethos that long term partnerships are strongest when built upon love, support, equality and honesty.

I would write the ceremony with the two of you at the heart of it reflecting your vision for married life which you will both be able to carry as a firm foundation into your future life together. It is a privilege to be invited into your lives, to be trusted with your stories and emotions to create the ceremony of your dreams; your wedding, your way. The ceremony can include rituals and storytelling to engage everyone there in your unique story so that it is truly unforgettable because it is your individual story.

A humanist naming ceremony is a perfect way to celebrate the birth or adoption of your baby, or to welcome a toddler or child into the family, the community and to the world. These simple ceremonies are full of joy with family and friends whilst recognising the responsibility that comes with any child’s life.

It is a privilege and a joy to use my communication and organisational skills to meet and work with partners and families to create meaningful and personal ceremonies celebrating human life, love and relationships in a way which brings everyone together. By focusing on shared values and personal experiences, family and friends can take part in making their commitment to be part of you and your partner’s life, or your child’s life, or by commemorating a loved one irrespective of their own background and beliefs. It’s a chance to express emotion, thank people and include sentiments that often go unsaid in families and amongst friends.

Working together

COVID-19. In view of the ever-changing guidelines, I will be able to advise you at the time on the best way we can safely conduct your ceremony using the latest guidance to determine maximum number of attendees and appropriate venues, be that indoors or outside. There are ways to work through these challenges from live streaming of ceremonies to running a ceremony in Zoom. For latest updates you can also visit https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies/

After meeting you and finding out more about you and exactly what tone of ceremony you would like, I will write your ceremony, suggest readings and rituals and include your own personal sentiments and stories you wish me to capture. I will also help and advise you and your family members and friends who wish to be involved with their own contributions, or make suggestions based on their significance in your life, or your loved one’s life. All of this is incorporated into my writing and delivery of the ceremony. I will provide you afterwards with a presentation copy of the whole script. For wedding ceremonies, you will also receive ceremony certificates for you and your partner, or for naming ceremonies, for you as parents and the supporting adults (e.g. Guide parents, godparents, Mentors, Sparents, Sponsors or whatever term you choose).

There is a whole host of information on the website https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies with examples of structure for the ceremony, videos, informational leaflets, FAQ’s, and pretty much everything you need to know.

However, I would be more than delighted to answer any of your questions with no obligation, face to face, by email or on the phone, and discuss ideas irrespective of whether you go ahead or choose me. If you do decide to go ahead, then I really look forward to meeting you one so we can devise the ceremony together ensuring it’s exactly what you want. I will invest as much time as it takes getting to know you and your loved one, guiding and supporting you, to create the exact atmosphere and tone of ceremony.

Call me for a chat on 07801 089 125 or email me at avril.murray@humanistceremonies.org.uk