You can choose music, poems, readings, and have candles, photographs, flowers - something special from the life of the deceased; whatever you feel will be appropriate. I will support you to involve friends and family members to take part in the ceremony itself and lead on different aspects if you would like to include them. The heart of the ceremony is the eulogy where the life of the deceased is celebrated and remembered in detail.
Together, we can make the ceremony personal to the one who has died, a celebration of their life and the importance they had for you, and will continue to have for you, family and friends.
If we have time, we can open the ceremony to the floor for those present to make spontaneous contributions. People respond well and can end up laughing trough their tears.
Working together, we can arrive at a funeral that is powerful, moving and memorable - a first step for the healing process to begin.
I will provide you/ the family with a safe pair of hands, listen carefully, and with warmth and kindness, support and guide the bereaved towards the best funeral possible - one that is moving and memorable and something to cherish always.
If you need to plan a funeral, give me a call and we can talk it over.
I’m more than grateful to Graham for the fantastic job he did in preparing for and delivering Mark’s funeral. He was patient, kind, understanding, gently persuasive when needed and trusting when it mattered. We worked together on the whole thing and he brought his expertise to bear when I was floundering out of my depth and at my most vulnerable. He brokered relationships with the funeral directors and was able to keep a clear head as to what needed to be done when. He planned and ‘stage managed’ in detail, supporting me to prepare my part so that I was able, on the day, to do what I needed to, without collapsing. He was at the end of a phone or email whenever needed, communicated well, and worked with and supported me in a way that never felt too much or too little.
He delivered the funeral service with care, humility, humour and calm, even in the face of an unexpected and emotional interruption. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending Graham’s services.
Claire Maybury
Graham is a very good friend of our family and it was my husband's choice to ask Graham to conduct his funeral ceremony. My sons and I had very fixed ideas about how we wanted the celebration of John's life to go and Graham guided us to ensure that the proceedings covered the aspects of John's life as we wanted, whilst maintaining the structure and timeliness required of the official ceremony.
Graham ensured that my sons and I were well prepared for the day and that we could be confident in speaking ourselves, with the backup that he could provide should any of us not be able to go through with our contribution. His opening and closing remarks were very appropriate, as was the way he encouraged the other speakers to introduce themselves.
Although a dreadful day in our lives, John's funeral was certainly a celebration of his life and it worked as well as it did because of Graham's input.
Jan Tallis
Memorials
If you’re considering planning a memorial event, there are lots of ways of going about it. Give me a call and I will be happy to talk it over with you.
From our first contact I found you genuinely respectful and sympathetic and you put me at ease in what was a difficult and upsetting situation. I was most impressed with the amount of time and effort you put into the preparation of the ceremony making sure I was happy with the wording of your speech. Most of all, the fact that you visited the cemetery a couple of times to see the Memorial Wall beforehand and to liaise with the staff/stonemason to finalise the details.
It was a lovely ceremony despite the sadness of the occasion and as I mentioned to you on the day I only wish I had known that you conducted funerals as I would have loved to have had you for Martyn’s – people who were at the funeral (including his father) said how nicer your service was.
I thank you again for all you did and I hope you realise how much it meant to me.
Monica Doherty
Graham, thanks for your invaluable help in guiding us in the preparation for today's event and for hosting it so sensitively. Your experience and skill gave us confidence and enabled us to rise to the occasion and gives Andre a farewell that was a good fit.
Frank Boyd
graham.downes.celebrant@gmail.com
tel: 07941 234052