Keith Roper-Hitches | Funeral Celebrant

Hi I’m Keith your Funeral Celebrant in Warwickshire, West Midlands. Firstly, a very warm welcome to my page. I have been known to also cover several other locations such as, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and other areas in and around the West Midlands. In fact, please feel free to contact me regardless to discuss your location. I am positive that we can work something out to aid and assist you at this very significant time. I consider it a privilege to be able to work with you at this important period in your life and that of your loved one.

Now in my 50s and, as you might expect, being a Celebrant wasn’t my first type of work. I spent several years in the Royal Air Force, during which, I worked with various service personnel. I also spent many years as a paramedic working front line attending all kinds of incidents. By doing these roles it allowed me to work alongside and help people who have, perhaps, experienced very stressful times across a whole range of situations. And so, as a result, I am proficient in understanding how people react in times of distress, discomfort, and vulnerability. This, therefore, you will find to be a positive attribute as we work together.

I am available to come and meet you in your own home, or another mutually agreeable place to discuss how the Funeral Ceremony for your loved ones takes shape. I realise it’s not always possible for families to do that, so I am equally happy to discuss these things by telephone, e-mail, WhatsApp or Zoom. I would like to take the opportunity to inform you that following my varied careers I am reliant on an assistance dog, which comes with me everywhere. Of course, I understand if having a dog can be difficult for you, hence why I can offer the option of meeting online if required.

I believe myself to be attentive, a good listener and a patient man. I consider it right not to place any restrictions on the time when I come to meet you. Indeed, it can take time for people to open up and let the stories of their loved one flow. It can be helpful to look through photographs and listening to music often jogs memories of happy times. I enjoy hearing about a person’s life story and seeing people recall those special moments and how the events flowed. With this, other elements will come together to make their final day both fitting, memorable and above all, special. What you openly share with me during our meeting then allows me to create a Ceremony that is both a celebration of their life and a tender mourning of their loss, remembering the best of your loved one in what will, undoubtedly, be your biggest, single tribute to them.

You’ll always receive a draft of the Ceremony I create for your loved one beforehand, and we can make changes, if necessary, to get it ‘just right’. I aim for you to be completely satisfied with everything and feel fully involved and supported throughout our time together.

I am professionally trained and accredited by the United Kingdom Society of Celebrants (UKSOC) and so, therefore, take my position seriously and trust that you will be extremely happy with our working relationship.