I am an experienced celebrant with Humanists UK accreditation since 2012, delivering on average 15-20 funerals per annum.

You can begin to arrange a funeral by calling a Funeral Director.  They  will answer all your questions from caskets, to flowers, to cars.

If you’ve arrived at this page because the first thing you want to do is ensure you have a celebrant and you want advice about local funeral directors, please call and I will be pleased to make recommendations.

As a humanist celebrant it is my role to work closely with the bereaved to develop a ceremony that reflects the person you have lost. I do this through meeting directly with clients and gaining an understanding of that person and what they meant to you.  I then take the responsibility to write that ceremony, share it with you for accuracy and manage any additions or amendments.  It is very hard to remember everything you want said, on the first meeting.  It is also my role to either deliver the ceremony wholly on the day or to act as a guide for other speakers.   As the testimonials below reveal, I have strong listening skills and work hard to capture the person as you knew them and how you wish to remember them.

The fee that is charged is usually somewhere between £275:00- 350:00, depending on length and complexity.  There may also be added travelling expenses, depending on distance.  In the case of a memorial ceremony the fee is paid directly to the celebrant.

Memorials

It is not uncommon for people to seek a separate event from a funeral – usually when time has passed – and possibly around a wish to scatter ashes. In 2023 I supported a family in scattering of ashes in Portsmouth and interment of ashes in a range of cemeteries across Hampshire.

In these cases a funeral director is not involved and liaison will necessarily be through direct contact.  The process, however, is much the same as for a funeral.  I will work with you to develop the ceremony you want and to deliver it for you or with you.  This is achieved through conversation, meetings and sharing drafts of prepared scripts until you are happy with the content and order.

Testimonials

We’re so glad Kate was able to lead our mum’s ceremony. We felt supported by her from the first phone call. When we met to discuss arrangements and talk about our mum she guided the conversation sensitively and listened attentively ensuring that we felt really, deeply heard, and this was reflected in the draft of the ceremony she sent through. Many people commented on how beautifully Kate spoke about mum, really capturing her essence. I was particularly impressed with Kate’s delivery, how she held the space, giving everyone the time and space needed to say goodbye whilst making sure that the day was a real celebration of a life well lived. (February 2024 – New Forest)

Kate was very personable and kind and we were blessed that Kate gave such a heartfelt and genuine service of our mother’s life. Our family and friends gave such lovely feedback after the service. (January 2024, Test Valley)

Kate was wonderful, our first meeting with her was so personal and lovely, she made us all feel at ease during a very difficult time.  Kate was so professional and caring at the ceremony and everyone who attended said what a lovely ceremony it was, thank you Kate, you were so comforting and kind (April, 2023)

Just a short note to thank you again for handling John’s funeral so well. Feedback from those present and watching online has been so positive, and Jean reports that she has found herself feeling much more at peace since the ceremony. These events must often be slightly surreal experiences for members of the deceased’s family  – ours certainly was so for me – and the environment of the crematorium quite alien; your work helped make sense of that. (April 2023)

Thank you for the copy of the ceremony to keep, Kate, and for everything else you’ve done for us this last three weeks. You made Ruby’s funeral a wonderful, celebratory occasion.  I can’t imagine anyone better to do this for us and for Ruby.  We have had so many people telling us what a beautiful and moving ceremony it was.  I am so grateful to you for this.  I won’t ever forget what you have done for my family. (August, 2020)

You may wish to look more at my route to being a celebrant here: https://themuttonclub.com/humanist-celebrant-funeral/