Photograph of Paul Herbert

I am an accredited Funeral Celebrant.  I work with you to create a non-religious funeral, interment or memorial ceremony that is a respectful goodbye celebrating a person’s life.  I lead and present the ceremony on the day, working closely with the Funeral Director to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Combining personal stories, poems, readings and music choices provides an opportunity to say goodbye to the person that has died and to celebrate the life that they have led.  I spend time with you to find out about them so that we can make it truly personal and reflect who they were, and their importance to their family and friends.  I can advise and guide you on what to include in the ceremony, and suggest music or readings.

My career in retail gave me a love of meeting people and finding out their stories. Writing my tributes for my parent’s funerals and seeing a funeral celebrant create a unique ceremony started me on the path to becoming a full-time celebrant myself. I enjoy putting together and presenting a ceremony that really does someone justice and celebrates their life.  I am married to an extremely busy Primary School Headteacher, with two daughters and a son-in-law also in teaching.  In my spare time, I am a volunteer guide on HMS Belfast, and I enjoy running, cycling, walking and theatre.

Planning the Ceremony

I want to get to know the person that has died, so that we can make it a personal and fitting tribute.

• Initial conversation: we confirm the key details and outline the kind of ceremony that you would like
• Family meeting: either in person or online with close family and friends as appropriate
  • Creating a picture of the person that has died, using stories, memories and photographs
  • Deciding the kind of ceremony that you would like and agreeing any music, readings, poetry and personal tributes
• Draft ceremony: I send you a draft for you to review and change anything that you would like to
• The ceremony: I meet you outside the Chapel, lead the ceremony and support any speakers; stepping in if necessary

I live in South East London, and work in Greater London and North Kent.  My standard fee for a funeral ceremony is £250.  You can contact me by email paul.herbert@humanism.org.uk or by telephone on 07761 – 790067.  I look forward to hearing from you.