Sharon Saint Lamont | Funeral Celebrant

I was raised in a working-class family in Newcastle’s West End and have spent nearly all my life in the North-East. We were a small and loving family – just me, my Mam and my Dad.

After qualifying as a nurse at Newcastle General Hospital in 1981, I began a degree course, supporting myself working part-time; I’m proud to have been the first member of my family to go to university. I continued to balance work, family (with two daughters) and study, completing a PhD in 1999, and still found time to take part in amateur dramatics and walks in the Lake District.

I lost both of my parents before the age of 40. Their loss left a crater in my life. However, the good memories I have of my parents helped me through dark times. Reflecting on both my parents’ funerals, I now wish both ceremonies had been more personal and that I could have been encouraged and helped to tell their stories.

After my PhD I worked in regional and national NHS management. I developed national policies to improve NHS care for autistic people and to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance.

My retirement plans were changed by the pandemic. I immersed myself in my other love – painting. I set myself a challenge to create a new painting every day for 100 days. I still have every one of those paintings, plus many more since.

My husband Charlie and I moved to Morpeth in 2016. I treasure being able to spend time with my grandchildren as they grow up. I feel blessed to be surrounded by love from Charlie, my children, and my grandchildren.

After the pandemic, I looked for new ways to make a valuable difference to other people. I realised that becoming a Funeral Celebrant could allow me to achieve this. Friends, relatives and former colleagues have encouraged me, telling me that my interpersonal skills are just right for this role.

My personal experiences together with the skills that I’ve developed in my working life have provided me with the qualities I need to be a good Funeral Celebrant. I consider these qualities to be respect, empathy, humility, discretion, dedication, warmth, and humour.

During my time in the NHS I had formal training in coaching and supporting staff, and have also worked with patients and relatives who have had poor experiences of care, helping to resolve complaints.

Losing someone you love is agony. We think we’ll never get over not being able to see that person ever again – not holding them close, not being able to share things with them, not being able to laugh with them. I cannot take away your pain. However, I can listen carefully and attentively when you talk about your loved one, cherish your memories, and ensure that I reflect their personality, interests, qualities and values in a professional and caring way.

I can help, support and coach (where needed) you and your family to be able to say your final goodbyes and to remind everyone of the kind of person you have lost. I have a passion for excellence, ceremony and ritual, and I firmly believe that the ceremonies I lead can help, in some small way, to bring your stories to life and to provide some comfort in the days ahead.

Together we will create a personal, unique ceremony. I will be extremely flexible and will ensure that your requests and memories are central to the ceremony. It would be my privilege to guide you through the maze of grief, in the hope that, one day, you will once again be able to smile at those wonderful memories.