Originally from Yorkshire and now based in North London. I have an increasingly wild garden, a handful of adult children, a demanding cat, and a writer husband. I sing in a choir, walk in the countryside and get my hands dirty volunteering in the local park.
In my previous career I worked for a number of rewarding organisations including a leading literary publisher (I once rejected a novel that turned out to be a Booker Prize winner). I had a spell in Paris with an Anglo-French engineering company and, back in London, brought my experience to several charities. It wasn’t until much later that I finally found what I really wanted to do. It’s this!
Naming ceremonies are such joyous affairs – even while marking an important life stage. They can take place almost anywhere and include anything from books and songs to cake – even alpacas. Small children − and sometimes dogs – can run around, play games and blow up balloons. All this while celebrating a new life – from a small baby to an older child – or welcoming a child to a new family. In one of my ceremonies we named both child and mother, because the mum had missed out the first time round.
Part of my role is to guide you towards a celebration based on humanist values of openness, kindness and hope. Together we will create a ceremony which allows you to welcome your child to the world and bear witness to your thoughts, your beliefs, and the emotions it kindles. It can be both formal and informal. The promises you − and the people you have chosen to help guide your child through life − are personal and heartfelt, and in all the ceremonies I’ve led, voicing those hopes and aspirations in front of witnesses is a very moving moment in the ceremony.
So if you are looking for a non-religious naming ceremony crafted with care and attention, please email me or pick up the phone for a chat. Your wishes will always be at the centre of anything I do, and every single ceremony is tailored to you and your family.
