Hi, I'm Andrew

Image of Andrew Donkin

..... thanks for dropping by. I'm a humanist funeral celebrant based on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire. A humanist funeral ceremony really remembers and celebrates a life lived with the accent on love, rather than religion. My aim is to prepare and deliver the ceremony with care, compassion and not overlooking humour, where it is fitting. I don't conduct many ceremonies, which leaves me plenty of time to put as much as needed into every one I do.

One of the most important aspects of a funeral ceremony is the time spent between the family and the celebrant, building a picture of the loved one that properly reflects the life they lead. Over a long career I’ve sat down with all sorts of people in all sorts of difficult situations and I’ve always tried to bring compassion and understanding in to the room. I’m bringing the rest of me too – a long suffering football fan (Bury FC, if you know you’ll have sympathy), an enthusiastic photographer, a smiler and more than anything else, a family man. Hopefully between us we can capture the essence of the life lived by your loved one and the experience can be a positive one.

I would be privileged to conduct a funeral service or celebration of life for your loved one and will work closely with you to ensure that the ceremony is as special and as personal as we can make it. However, it is important that you find a celebrant that fits well with what you are looking for, so do please feel free to contact me either by phone or email for an initial chat, with no obligation at all.

Andrew, did a fantastic job despite having meagre information about a very private person. I had lots of feedback from the attendees afterwards about how well Andrew handled the occasion.

— AW

Andrew was wonderful. Took the time to find out about our Mothers life, and thus made the service very personal. He was compassionate, articulate and empathetic. We could not have asked for more.

— LR

Professional from start to finish! Andrew spent a few hours with our family listening to talk of our Father, there were tears and smiles, but he never rushed us. He shared the full written service with us a few days later and we were impressed that he had captured so much of what we talked about and wrote this into a beautiful, personal service which was ultimately delivered in the most professional, caring and eloquent manner. Many who attended the service commented on what a lovely service it really was. Our family would not hesitate to recommend Andrew to others.

— LR

Thank you again for handling things with warmth and humour.

— AC

This the second time we have worked with Andrew and the second time he exceeded our expectations. We had a zoom call with him for about an hour and talked through my fathers life and then he called a couple of our friends and very swiftly came up with the script. The script had a nice sense of balance and significantly delivered some finely nuanced details in a very positive way. We had many compliments after and they really should be passed back to Andrew for doing a such a great job!

— AW

He was able to home in on the bereaved persons personality, and portray it to the congregation extremely well, a lovely service.

— JL

Image of Andrew Donkin

Andrew Donkin

Where I work

I live in Alsager on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire and cover both counties for funeral ceremonies and memorials. Happy to travel further afield by arrangement.

Fees from...

£230

How to contact me
Email

andrew.donkin@humanistceremonies.org.uk

Phone

07770 786963

Website

humanist.org.uk/andrewdonkin

HUMANIST CEREMONIES™ is the network of more than 550 celebrants, trained by national charity Humanists UK to a gold standard to provide memorable and meaningful humanist ceremonies to non-religious people. Operating throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, we deliver authentic, tailor-made and heartfelt ceremonies for life’s key moments. They are always inclusive and welcoming, regardless of the beliefs of those attending.

You can trust Humanist Ceremonies celebrants: We are DBS-checked, fully insured, and regularly peer reviewed for quality assurance. We are committed to a code of conduct, and have a transparent and robust complaints process in the rare case of a problem. We all pay a monthly fee to Humanists UK to further support the work of the charity, and are part of a regional network for like-minded celebrants for support and learning.

Humanist funerals

Humanist funerals, memorials and ash ceremonies are a fitting way to honour a unique life with warmth, sensitivity and meaning, but without reference to religion or an afterlife. They put the story of the person who has died at the heart of the ceremony, paying tribute to them and the legacy they leave, and provide an opportunity to bring people together, not just to share sadness but to celebrate a life lived.