Ideas and inspiration
Humanist celebrants craft memorable and meaningful funeral ceremonies, intertwining personal memories with timeless human values. These are their stories.
Thinking ahead: how to start organising and planning for death
The subject of death and dying is still a taboo topic often shrouded in awkwardness and uncertainty. But having the difficult conversations and becoming more organised for your death in...
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...
A guide to eco-friendly funeral options
Humanists believe in caring for the natural world and share these values with many others. This approach can be a reason why people choose a humanist celebrant to lead a...
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...
