Ideas and inspiration
Humanist celebrants craft memorable and meaningful funeral ceremonies, intertwining personal memories with timeless human values. These are their stories.
Our Celebrant Network: Meet Blue Ryan – Funeral Celebrant
Blue Ryan is a documentary filmmaker and a humanist funeral celebrant based in London, who believes in the power of telling stories. She tells us about what her two roles...
Planning a Celebration of Life: Ideas and advice for memorial ceremonies
A Celebration of Life, or memorial ceremony, can be held after or instead of a funeral. It can take place wherever feels right to you, rather than in a religious...
In the UK, most funerals are cremations, rather than burials, with a funeral ceremony held in a crematorium. However, it is possible to hold a scattering of ashes ceremony at...
At a funeral service or ceremony, friends and family gather together to remember, pay tribute to and say goodbye to someone special to them. The person who leads this ceremony...
Throughout his life, Clive was someone who brought people together. So it was only right that his funeral did the same. Clive’s husband Angus explains how a humanist funeral helped...
Holding a memorial ceremony after a direct cremation: Five things you need to know
More and more people are opting for direct cremation. This is when a cremation is not attended – it’s not accompanied by a funeral service, and family and friends are...
How to give a eulogy at a humanist funeral
If you have experienced the death of a family member or friend and have been asked to read something at their humanist funeral service, it may feel like a daunting...
What should I say when someone is bereaved?
Death and dying can be difficult subjects to talk about. It’s natural to want to offer support to a friend or colleague who has been bereaved. However, it can be...
What is a direct cremation and is it right for us?
Thinking about a direct cremation? Read more about what it is and why people choose it, plus how you can follow it up with a meaningful memorial ceremony.
How to plan an affordable funeral
Funerals can be expensive, but with a humanist funeral service there are plenty of simple ways to make them more affordable, meaningful and personal. We share some tried-and-tested tips and...
For many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and the bereaved family and friends making the funeral plans, it is especially important that the ceremony is a fitting and...
How to deliver a eulogy – 9 tips from a celebrant
Delivering a eulogy for a loved one can be a difficult emotional challenge. Read these tips from a humanist funeral celebrant to help you prepare.
‘She lived well and she died well’: Planning a unique humanist funeral for our mum
When Sarah talks about her mum Joan’s funeral, words like “joy”, “fun” and “celebration” come up a lot. It’s hardly surprising. This was someone who, in Sarah’s words, ‘always said...
‘This is how a funeral should be’: How Bernie’s friends planned a good send-off
Maddy’s friend, Bernie, lost the ability to say more than a few words after suffering a stroke. But he was still able to enjoy life and to make his views...
A non-religious funeral ceremony for a baby
A humanist funeral ceremony for a baby recognises the depth of the loss and pain, acknowledging the unique significance of the child who has died, and all the ways their...
Simply put, a humanist funeral is a non-religious and personal funeral ceremony. A humanist funeral is a non-religious service that is both a dignified farewell and a celebration of a...
Non-religious poems for a baby’s funeral
When struggling with loss and grief, some people find comfort in poetry. When read aloud, a moving poem has the ability to bring people together in quiet contemplation and mourning....
Who to tell about the death of a loved one
Life Ledger is a free, secure, easy-to-use service that simplifies the process of death notifications.
Five ways to honour a loved one’s memory
The old adage 'Life's too short' can sometimes hit home when someone you love dies. It can make you assess your own life and clarify for you changes you want...
It’s time to talk about your funeral wishes
Newsflash: We’re all going to die. It’s inevitable. Life, sadly, is a terminal condition, and death is one of its few certainties. But the reality is that talking about our...
Thinking ahead to your funeral
'Catherine was facing a terminal diagnosis of cancer, but she was also used to planning her life, and considered planning her death and the immediate aftermath no different. She was...
Even when it’s expected, the death of someone we know and love can be shocking and painful. And when planning a funeral, there are so many decisions to be made...
Pre-planned ceremonies and prepaid funeral plans
If you've been thinking about getting your affairs in order, you may have been looking into prepaid funeral plans. But did you know that they don't include recording your wishes...
Louise Jopling has been a humanist funeral celebrant for over a decade. So, if anyone would knows what makes a 'good' funeral, it's Louise. Here, she shares her thoughts on...
Poems for funerals during lockdown
Poetry has taken on a meaningful role in lockdown funeral ceremonies. It is being used by many families to help express their thoughts during these challenging times.
Poems of love for a humanist funeral
Poetry brings comfort and, while every humanist ceremony is unique, we find there are some poems which are requested more than others at humanist funerals. Here are some suggestions for...
Uplifting and humorous poems for a humanist funeral
Uplifting funeral poems can set the tone for the whole ceremony. They can offer comfort and a way to honour the life and personality of a loved one. Humanist funeral...
Non-religious funerals in London
'As a funeral director, it's reassuring to have a Humanist Ceremonies celebrant, as they are formally trained and I can be assured of high standards,' says Hannah.
Can we hold a funeral at home?
You may be surprised to learn that (outside of lockdowns) you can have a non-religious funeral ceremony at a range of venues.
Funeral Planning | Top Ten Tips
There are many things to think about when planning a funeral. Humanist funeral celebrant Adele Chaplin has created her top ten tips for funeral planning to help you navigate the...
What is a eulogy and how do I write one?
The best advice for anyone writing a eulogy is to speak from the heart, in a way that fits the person who has died. You’re writing the eulogy to fit...
A humanist memorial is a non-religious ceremony which focuses on the person who has died, the life they led, the relationships they forged, and the legacy they leave. It can...
Planning a funeral while in lockdown?
If you're planning a funeral while in lockdown, there are many things you will need to consider. Humanist funeral celebrant Adele Chaplin has created a list of five things to...
Why are more people seeking humanist funerals?
Humanist funerals and memorials are non-religious ceremonies that support you to both mourn your loved one and celebrate their life. They are based on the humanist perspective that every life...
Humanist funeral celebrant Adam Jacobs is a dedicated motorcyclist and Lincolnshire emergency blood biker. He tells us why he's keen to give fellow bikers a good send-off.
Becoming a humanist funeral celebrant
Humanist funeral celebrants provide an alternative to religious ceremonies for people wishing to say goodbye to a loved one in a non-religious way. Dawn Thewlis explains how she became a...
Humanist Funeral Celebrant, North Wales | David Atkinson
Like many people, David Atkinson found the first humanist funeral he attended was unlike any other funeral he had experienced. He was so captivated by the personal approach to the...
Humanist Funeral Celebrant, Cambridgeshire | Alex Collis
Humanist celebrants are the ideal choice for families looking for something personal and unique.
Humanist funerals and the coronavirus pandemic by Joan Bakewell
Baroness Joan Bakewell, talks about the lockdown, the important work of humanist funeral celebrants, and why we all need video technology skills.
The importance of rituals in grieving
Committal rituals can help the bereaved to say goodbye. When there isn’t a committal, symbolic gestures can be a substitute. As well as being a way of saying farewell, they...
Supporting grieving friends and relatives during the coronavirus lockdown
During the lockdown, many people will be physically alone, while dealing with grief. As a nation, our attendance at funerals, memorials, and wakes may be severely restricted at this time. But...
Using technology to plan and deliver funeral and memorial ceremonies
Humanist funeral celebrant, Adele Chaplin shares her experiences of using technology in the planning and delivery of funeral and memorial ceremonies.
One funeral celebrant’s response to the coronavirus pandemic
Humanist funeral celebrant Cate Quinn has made a short video explaining what you can do before, during, and after a bereavement, to say a meaningful and dignified goodbye to a...
Online ceremonies and the coronavirus pandemic
In the event that you and your family cannot gather together to attend a funeral, we want to reassure you that there are still ways to celebrate a life lived...
Resolving family funeral disagreements
When siblings who haven’t spoken to one another in years suddenly face planning a funeral or a memorial for a parent, a humanist funeral celebrant can often become an intermediary...
Coronavirus and funerals in the UK
Planning a funeral for a loved one is emotional and potentially stressful at any time, but during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic there are additional factors to take into consideration. You’ll...
Funerals | New rules for coming out of lockdown in England
Since the first lockdown, the rules on attending funerals have kept changing - and there are more changes ahead in England as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.
Seven ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed humanist funerals in the UK
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, but it has also changed the way funerals are conducted and how we support friends and relatives who are grieving. Here...
