Ceremonies can be simple & if someone was private you can keep it private. They can include stories and memories and there are personal touches you can include to honour the life of your loved one. This may be tributes, words and poems or a special moment like a candle lighting. You can include something from their life that they loved. A really special funeral included the three-wheeler the gentleman we were celebrating had restored with his best friend. It was a really special moment. You can include something simple like a surfboard, photo or pair of gardening gloves. If they loved camping you can lead them with the camper, if they loved motorbikes bring the bike or if they loved tractors arrange a final tractor journey.

For some, a vegetable tribute is much more fitting than flowers. Flowers can be very personal especially if they were from the garden or remind you of a special memory like picking blackberries. You can say goodbye with something they loved like petals or a favourite sweet. I have also had funerals with ice cream vans, champagne toasts, a final cuppa & a favourite drink.

You may want to share something in remembrance like an 'In Memory Seed Card' or a packet of bird seed. For some simply following wishes like 'keep it simple' is a perfect tribute. I have helped those who don’t want a funeral, but want a moment to say goodbye. This can be simply taking a moment to say goodbye in the nature they loved with nearby wildlife & a flower from the garden. These are things I would discuss with you and we would create something that fits you as a family.

Many people look at funerals as the final goodbye. It's an important part of accepting the death of a loved one and gives us time to say goodbye but after a funeral, we are still grieving and coming to terms with what has happened. The loss of a loved one remains with us in everyday life and we don't have that focal point of the funeral anymore. When we are trying to learn how to live without the people we love it's really hard. We may need support & help to get us through this because we can feel lost. This is why I created a grief support pack for after the funeral. It includes useful contacts & information that may be helpful when coping with the loss of a loved one. It helps us to understand we are not alone & reminds us there is support if we need it. You may find events like walks, support groups and events hosted at places like natural burial grounds helpful. We include useful events that we are aware of on our website. You can find these here.