Funeral Celebrant in Brighton, East/West Sussex

I am a twin. I was brought up with two sisters in Macclesfield and somewhere along the line I got the acting bug. So, after finishing school I moved to Yorkshire to study a degree in drama at Bretton Hall, now the home of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

London has been home almost all of my adult life. However, I now live in East Sussex in Saltdean, with my wife and our Springer Spaniel, Bracken. We can be found most days walking on Telscombe Tye.
Work and holidays have taken me all over the world, and it is always interesting to encounter other cultures and ways of life.

Given my profession it might not be surprising that I enjoy all aspects of the arts, but I also enjoy reading, gardening, walking and spending time with friends. “Your lost friends are not dead but gone before; advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod.” Aristophanes

I am a professional actor who works mainly in the theatre, but has also been seen and heard on television and the radio. For the last 20 years I have been a trustee of the Actors' Benevolent Fund. For 10 years alongside my acting work I was involved with ticketing events as diverse as the World Wrestling Foundation’s “Summer Slam” and the Chelsea Flower Show. For the last 20 years I has be involved with the remarkable charity, InterAct Stroke Support, helping improve the recovery of stroke survivors. I am a church elder, editing the church magazine, and from time to time leading worship. The idea of becoming a celebrant only occurred after I was asked, some years ago, to conduct a funeral for a friend’s husband. He had wanted a humanist funeral, but all the humanist celebrants were having their annual conference that week, so I stepped in .....and the rest, as they say, is history.

Life is a wonderful gift, and when it ends it is worthy of celebration.

Planning a funeral can be a difficult time for those concerned. I see my role, therefore, as helping the family or friends to create a ceremony that reflects the personality and character of their loved one. We will meet to discuss the multiple options available in creating your ceremony, and share ideas, if required, for poetry or prose that you may wish to include. After learning more about your loved one I will write a tribute which I will share with you before the day of the ceremony, making any additions or amendments that are required.

If anyone wants to take a more active part in the ceremony I will work with them to achieve this. On the day I will lead the ceremony and be there to support anyone else who has been asked to speak.
I greatly enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories. I have an inquiring mind and a good sense of humour. Like most of us, having been touched by death, I have an empathetic ear.

I want to deliver a celebration of your lost one’s life that will reflect their character and personality to the full. As a church goer I am able to include religious elements into the ceremony, if required, but am equally comfortable in leaving them out, respecting everyone’s beliefs or lack of them. Whether a burial or cremation, natural burial or memorial service I can shape a ceremony to your needs.
Most of all, I am keen to make every ceremony individual and fitting for the people concerned. Do get in touch if you have any questions, or would like to discuss your ceremony.

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another” - Ernest Hemingway