Funerals and Memorials

A Funeral Ceremony

Do you want a funeral celebrant in North East England who will listen to you to understand your wishes and do all possible to meet them? Do you want a celebrant to write and deliver a ceremony that truly captures the person who has died? If so, I may be the right funeral celebrant for you.

Rather than having fixed ideas about the right or wrong way to hold a funeral, I focus on what feels right for you. Yes, a civil ceremony is usually non-religious and I do not represent any organised religion or faith. However, if the person who died had spiritual or religious beliefs, I am happy for us to find a good way to include these in the funeral ceremony. Together can pick the music, readings and / or prayers that fit them best and bring comfort to the people attending.

Please contact me directly if you would like me to be your funeral celebrant in North East England. I work for whoever is planning the funeral and work with, rather than for, the funeral director.

This image provided by the Good Funeral Guide shows three women in bright clothes standing around a coffin decorated with art and drawings. Photos on this page are to show what funerals can be like. They are not from real funerals.
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In my experience most people don’t know that a funeral ceremony can take place in different inside and outside spaces. I am passionate about promoting funeral choices which makes me want to shout about the things that people don’t widely know (or write in bold letters). A funeral can be held wherever it is safe to bring a coffin and where there is permission from the site / venue owner.

Whether you choose a sports or social club, a barn, the village hall, a function room or outside space at a hotel is entirely up to you. Knowing this allows you to choose a venue with meaning. This option takes away the stress of having to rush through a cremation service and can even be less expensive! Having more time in a separate space allows can enable a more personalised experience. The burial or cremation can then either include all mourners or be held in private. I can guide you through the many options open to you.

Natural burial is another funeral option that is not very widely known. Natural burial is more environmentally friendly than conventional burial and cremation.  A natural burial site is usually a beautiful woodland or meadow setting. If think you would like natural burial, it really helps to plan ahead. A charity called the Natural Death Centre has information on natural burial grounds. You can find out more online or by visiting the social purpose section of this website.

Choosing Places for Funerals

A funeral needs a time and place for people to gather. Most civil funerals take place in a crematorium. Crematoria are well set up for people to gather with spoken word and music. I am happy to facilitate a crematorium funeral, if this is what you would like. While people tend to use the crematorium closest to them, you can choose the crematorium in a nearby. This may help if you need a larger venue, better transport links, or a longer time slot as standard (not all crematoria are the same). In weeks or months following a cremation, you may want a simple ceremony to scatter or bury your loved one’s ashes in a special place. I can help with that.

This funeral procession shows two women and two men carrying a wicker casket in a crematorium. They are being followed in by a lone woman, most likely the celebrant. Thanks to the Good Funeral Guide for this image, freely available on Unsplash.
This generated image shows what an alternative funeral service could be like in a country hotel venue. A coffin is placed in front of a set of double doors leading out to a country garden. The room is decorated with fairy lights and candles.
Woodland trees cover a caret of bluebells in this woodland burial site.
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Planning Ahead for Your Funeral

I specialise in working with people to plan their own funeral ceremony. Planning your own funeral spares your loved ones the anguish of having to guess what you would have wanted. I can support you to choose the option that feels right for you and your loved ones. I promise you we can do this in a way that does not need to be morbid. There are real life-affirming moments in this process.

If you want to see all the people that are important to you while you are still alive, you may want to consider a living funeral. A living funeral is a ceremony where the guest of honour is present in living form. This gathering may be a good choice for somebody with a terminal illness, who still feels well enough to enjoy the company of others.  A living funeral can be fully scripted or have more of an open structure. We can work together to find the tone that feels right.

As a celebrant, my main focus is on your ceremony. I can also give you information on people who can support in other ways, such as with death planning and aspects of death care.

Kate is standing outside a crematorium in front of trees. She is wearing a dark blue dress for a funeral and her name badge from the International College of Professional Celebrants. She is holding a folder containing funeral script.
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A Memorial Service

If a private funeral or unattended / direct cremation has taken place, you may want a memorial service in the days or weeks that follow. A memorial service may be a particularly good option for somebody well known in the community.

With ample time to celebrate a person’s life and legacy, a memorial service can be a beautiful way to bring comfort to family, friends and the wider community. Every memorial service is different and there are many choices around format and structure. It would be my honour to develop memorial service ideas with you and create a meaningful celebration of life ceremony together.

A memorial service can be held anywhere that people gather - a function room at a hotel, community centre, social club or sports club. It can especially lovely to be able gather somewhere meaningful to the person being remembered.

This image of a hotel function room shows the kind of setting where a memorial service could take place. The luxurious setting is light-filled, has chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and three rows of chairs set up for a gathering.
This image of a community hall is provided to show the kind of setting where a memorial service could take place. The hall has parquet flooring, many rows of blue chairs and natural light coming in through windows with blue curtains.
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Eulogy Writing Service

Have you decided to hold a funeral, memorial service or celebration of life without a celebrant present? Are you struggling to find the right words for your loved one’s eulogy?  It can be especially difficult to organise your words when you are grieving and busy making the arrangements need. I can help.

I offer a eulogy writing service which you can make use of from anywhere in the world.  During an online meeting I help you call to mind special memories with your loved one and the characteristics that make this person unique. I will then craft a heartfelt eulogy capturing the person you love and knew so well. 

Writing a eulogy for a loved one can be difficult, as you know so much about them. I will take the essence of what you tell me about their life, achievements and personality. I will use words that are natural to you, giving you confidence when you read it aloud.

This close up photo shows two hands writing in a note book, to depict eulogy writing. The hands have painted finger nails in a dark colour and golf rings. They are not Kate's hands (she doesn't paint her fingernails). It is just a good image.
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Prices and Packages Until 31 March 2026

Funerals

It would be a privilege to create and deliver a unique, personalised funeral ceremony for you when the time comes, or for your loved one. I will listen attentively to your wishes, provide helpful guidance as to what is possible. I will plan and deliver an inclusive ceremony that reflects with the values and identity of the person who has died.

A funeral package from £230 includes:

  • A planning meeting with you before the ceremony (face to face or online)

  • A bespoke ceremony script, including personalised readings and music

  • A eulogy to honour your / your loved one’s life

  • Communication throughout the preparation phase by telephone, email or WhatsApp

  • Revisions and changes whilst preparing the script

  • Liaison with the Funeral Director to coordinate the ceremony

  • Travel within thirty miles of South Shields. Additional fees are charged for mileage beyond that at 45 pence per mile. Additional transport required (boat, train, plane, etc) will be charged accordingly.

  • Variations to Charges: Double time slot at crematorium: £250; Double funeral (two people): £330. If I am working with you to plan your funeral in advance, there may need to be additional charges, for example, for repeated script revisions over time. This is something we can discuss as we go. Similarly, living funerals are priced according to your specific requirements.

Other Ceremonies and Services

  • Memorial services are priced according to your specific requirements

  • Burial or scattering of ashes, if I have delivered the funeral ceremony, from £50.

  • Burial or scattering of ashes, if I have not delivered the funeral ceremony, from £230

  • Eulogy writing service from £100

Contact Kate

Would you like to talk about any of the services I offer for funerals and memorial services? Please message me with your details and I will be in touch as soon as possible. Please include your telephone number in the message, if you would like ca call back.