Hi, I'm Jon

Image of Jon Blair

MY BACKGROUND

I am originally a political refugee from apartheid era South Africa and over the last 40 or so years I have been a multi award winning film and television director. I only set my mind to becoming a funeral celebrant after I was asked out of the blue by the widow of a friend and colleague who had recently died of cancer whether I would be willing to conduct his funeral.

Since then I have been formally trained and accredited by Humanists UK and am very happy and privileged to be enabled to do my best to create a non religious ceremony to meet the wishes of many different people from all walks of life. My desire, at what can be an enormously difficult time, is to allow you at least to relax in the knowledge that the ceremony, when it comes, will be in safe hands.

WHY ME?

I believe funerals really matter and are terribly important to honour and celebrate the life of the deceased person, but perhaps even more importantly, as part of the process of helping bereaved people through the process of grieving. In a sense a funeral is a rite of passage, and it needs to be done right to give at least some sort of closure to all involved.

I have spent my entire professional career telling the stories of people, whether living or dead, famous or completely unknown, to huge audiences, and I really mean it when I say that I feel incredibly privileged now to be able to use those skills in devising a bespoke, personal event to accurately and appropriately fit your needs and wishes. Whether you want to have me help you craft a Cremation, a Burial, a Green Burial or a Memorial Service, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

RELIGION OR NO RELIGION?

My own beliefs come from my passionate belief in humanity, human rights and the dignity that every person on earth is entitled to, along with a belief in the science that we only have one life and that there is no afterlife.

However, I have an extremely flexible approach to the issue of religion within any ceremony you might want. I am entirely open to anything, whether it includes a prayer, a piece of music or whatever, that helps make the ceremony as relevant as it can be for you, the bereaved family and friends. In this, as in all other things to do with the event, I am there to assist and advise, but not to prescribe one or another way to do it.

Thank you so much for yesterday. Your support and curation of those who spoke and those who came was wonderful. And the printed script of the ceremony you gave us afterwards, with your collation of words and pictures was extraordinary, moving, affirming and very, very sad. - if there's a Humanist Trust Pilot, you definitely get 5

— K C

Jon gave us invaluable help with planning both the family funeral and the large celebration of my husband's life. Both were memorable events that received large numbers of compliments.

— AC

Many thanks for leading Friday's service for my brother. The day was everything we could have wished for, and all our friends and family have been saying what a beautiful service it was. We really appreciate you taking it on at such short notice and everything you did to ensure it ran smoothly.

— E E

We were very lucky to find Jon to conduct the ceremony for my lovely wife’s funeral, or celebration as we preferred to think of it. He was able to suggest poems and way of doing things that just hit the right spot. This meant he really got to understand her and her life, achievements and aspirations. We had a committal and a celebration as separate ceremonies and his wonderful orchestration of both made joyous, rather than purely sad, for both family and friends. He really caught her essence and handled it all so sensitively. Such things are never easy and are ultimately both physically and emotionally exhausting but his careful stewardship was an immense help. Both his discussion of her life and the way he linked all the readings and presentations together gave a flowing ceremony that did her proud. Everyone I spoke to was so complimentary of how the proceedings went and assumed he must have known her well. A testament to his abilities, confidence and fluency. His guidance and support were invaluable. As a bonus he produced a document for us afterwards with the talks and readings pulled together that has been a wonderful memory. I am so pleased we chose him.

— A N

Jon was amazing. He showed such compassion and understanding to me and my family. He captured the essence of my mum’s life perfectly and all family and friends couldn’t praise him enough for the wonderful service he delivered.

As a family we are very grateful for all that Jon has done for us. especially me as he took the trouble to check up on how I was doing after the funeral. We wanted someone perfect to do my mum’s funeral and we definitely found that in Jon.

— R S

Jon smoothly guided me through the funeral preparations, constantly finding ways to be supportive, and thereby gently unburdening me of much of the stress.

So many of those present for the funeral were blown away by Jon’s address, and a fair few enquired whether he knew my dad. Jon didn’t, but the interest he demonstrated in my dad’s life, attention to detail, background in research, and excellent public speaking, truly brought my dad’s life into vivid technicolour.

Given the acute sadness surrounding the funeral, it is quite a surprise to find myself now writing how the whole process turned out to be such an enjoyable and valuable experience. Jon, I am forever in your debt, for standing by my side.

— A K

Losing a most dearly beloved person is one of the most difficult experiences that there is in our lives. And then on top of that comes the huge pressure of arranging their funeral so that it brings some comfort and joy, as well as giving a befitting tribute to a life well lived and well loved. When my husband died, this is what I wanted to achieve and it was an extremely daunting prospect

Jon stepped in and stepped up in the most remarkable ways. His care and attention to me and my wishes, his ability to ask all the important questions, to gently nudge me away from silly decisions, his willingness to advise on every detail of the funeral, not just the eulogy – all this Jon brought to bear in spades. He consulted every step of the way, enabling me to surrender much of my nerves about the proceedings.

There were many family members and colleagues who wanted to speak out their different stories and memories of my husband’s part in their lives, and Jon seamlessly wove his own well-researched words between each person’s contribution, bringing a gentle humour and ease to the whole proceedings

For me a good funeral is an occasion where we leave satisfied our loved one has been beautifully represented, and where we have learned things that we never knew about them. This was just such an occasion for everyone present.

Jon is a very sensitive listener as well as a confident and sympathetic speaker. Every member of our family as well as friends and colleagues felt pleased and happy about the event. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be our celebrant. 

— C G

Image of Jon Blair

Jon Blair

Where I work

London, East Anglia mainly but also the rest of Britain, Europe and worldwide by agreement

Fees from...

£300 but this is always subject to discussion depending on your ability to pay and the complexity of your ceremony

How to contact me
Email

jon@jbfc.org

Phone

07770 461761

Website

humanist.org.uk/jonblair

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.