A person centred approach to supporting people during bereavement and grief…
My approach
It is important that you find the right celebrant to be alongside you as you prepare for the funeral of your loved one, and on the day itself.
I hope my website will help you get a sense of whether I feel like a good fit for you.
I specialise in creating heartfelt and meaningful ceremonies imbued with warmth and integrity.
The values, beliefs and life story of those being remembered and honoured are woven together into a final farewell which supports and comforts you, their loved ones.
Unbound by any one belief system, I am guided by you, as together we create a ceremony which feels right for your unique circumstances.
A big part of what I do as we prepare for the ceremony, and during the service itself, is to provide an emotionally supportive presence.
The role of funeral celebrant called to me because I know from personal experience that endings are important. A thoughtfully written service, conducted with clear intention and kindness can make the world of difference to our experience of death and grief.
It can’t change what has happened, and it still might be one of the saddest things we do.
Yet in sensitively naming the reality of loss, along with the achievements and happier memories of a life lived, in compassionately and purposefully performing a committal, we can tenderly complete the circle of our loved ones life in a way which can bring some sense of fulfilment or peace, even in the depths of our grief.
I'd like my skills and experience to empower you to do so in a way which feels right for your unique circumstances, so that the funeral might be as helpful an experience as possible within your grieving process.
Because of the high level of care I give to each service, I choose to work with one family at a time.
This degree of attention means I only commit to 1 or 2 services per month, enabling me to really focus on your individual needs and be fully present with the process of writing the ceremony and delivering it calmly, with warmth and compassion.
We humans have always had a need to come together and enact funeral rites for those who have been ours in life.
The poem Neanderthal Dig by Don McKay touches on how this was so for our earliest ancestors . He writes from the perspective of a reflective archaeologist unearthing the ancient burial site of a mother and child.
Below is a link to a sensitive reading and brief discussion of the poem by Padraig O Tuama in which he explores how this human heritage of honouring our loved ones in death is still relevant today, and in a way that really resonates with me.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/don-mckay-neanderthal-dig/id1492928827?i=1000684659400
“I can not recommend Sara highly enough. She was a wonderful celebrant for my Mum's funeral. I lost count of the number of comments I received from friends and family after the service saying how good she was. She really took the time to understand the kind of service that we were looking for as well as getting to the essence of who Mum was. Her delivery was clear and compassionate.
As a family we really appreciated her guidance, care and professionalism both before, and throughout the service. We feel lucky to have benefitted from her clear expertise.
Thank you Sara.”
Rick Bentley 2023
My background
I have almost 40 years’ experience of working in professional healthcare and related teaching roles.
Before completing my Level 3 Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy I worked for 12 years in a training team within a drug and alcohol charity.
Working with people accessing the service, and professionals supporting vulnerable adults with complex needs, provided an opportunity to build my knowledge and experience of compassion based support for people experiencing trauma and distress.
I began my working life as a Registered Nurse, then completed a BSc in Herbal Medicine. I practiced as a Herbalist for 10 years and taught on the undergraduate course at Lincoln University.
I have a long standing yoga practice and have completed the Sivananda Teacher Training, Pregnancy Yoga Training with Uma Dinsmore Tuli and in 2025 additional training in the use of yoga in palliative care and bereavement with Kate Binnie.
I am also a qualified massage therapist.
I studied for my Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy with Greenfuse, the training arm of Heart and Soul Funerals in Devon. http://www.heartandsoulfunerals.co.uk/
Simon and Jane did a huge amount of work to develop this in-depth professional training course and to really instil in their students a profound understanding of the sacred nature of funeral celebrancy. As a member of the last cohort they trained, I am very honoured to have studied with them.
It has felt very natural to also offer an holistic grief support service where I can combine the different disciplines I have trained and practiced in, providing an individualised programme of support for people navigating this very tender path of grief.
I live and work in my home city of Sheffield, on the edge of the Peak District.
What can you expect from me as your celebrant?
The first meeting (often around 2 hours, yet each family is different).
To meet with you in person (or via a web link or telephone if required) to talk about the person you are arranging the service for and how you want their ceremony to be, and for us to get to know each other a little, though this process.
This is very much about me listening to your stories and memories, spending time developing an appreciation of your loved ones character and personality, who and what was important to them, their values and beliefs, the landmark events in their life.
It’s also a time where we can begin discussing the structure, flow and content of the ceremony.
Creating a first draft of the ceremony.
Following the first meeting, I like to let our words and the stories and pictures you may have shared have time to settle into my heart and mind…often I’ll go for a walk. This helps ideas drop into place about how the narrative might come together. Sometimes I write with pen and paper, sometimes straight onto my laptop, depending where ideas come to me!
I write with the intention of creating a well-constructed, flowing and sensitive narrative about your loved one’s life and their death, all held within the distinct phases of a complete funeral ceremony. This is their story as well as a final farewell, it involves the people they loved and who loved them in return; it is unique.
I will email this draft to you, so you can read it through in your own time.
It’s important to me that you feel totally satisfied with the final script, so we can discuss and make any amendments you feel are needed, until we get it just right.
I will keep in regular contact throughout this process, usually via email and / or telephone, sometimes we may need to meet again in person; every family has different needs.
Working with your Funeral Director and other professionals.
Through close liaison with your funeral director, the venue and any other professionals involved in your loved one’s service, I will do what is in my power to ensure the day runs smoothly.
On the day of the ceremony.
On the morning of the service, or the day before if it is an early service, I will call you to touch base.
To allow time to meet with the chapel attendant or venue representative, and check all is in place, I will arrive at least half an hour before the service is due to begin.
Delivering the ceremony with heartfelt warmth and professionalism, as far as it is in my control, I will keep within our allotted time frame.
I will remain in attendance following the ceremony, and be at your service, until you have completed your acknowledgments with family and friends and leave the venue.
I have pledged to uphold the code of conduct set out in the Celebrant Accord of the Funeral Celebrancy Council.
https://funeralcelebrancycouncil.org.uk/the-funeral-celebrant-accord/
Other aspects of my work.
If you are in a situation where you are planning your own funeral, or supporting someone else with this process I can offer guidance around different possibilities.
There are many options beyond the standard format most people are aware of…
For example, as well as at a crematorium or burial ground, you could decide on an alternative venue for the funeral service. It could be held in your home or garden, a community space or somewhere else of your choice.
I can also support people in the creation and holding of memorial services.
Some people with terminal illnesses wish to hold a ceremony before they die (sometimes called a living funeral) with their close family and friends.
Please feel free to get in touch with me, with no obligation, to discuss your individual needs.