Independent Celebrant, Life-story writer & narrator
Stories of life and stories of love …
Ceremonies, Legacy Books & Audio Tributes
that bring memories alive with lasting power and purpose
My work & training
I trained as a civil celebrant with Civil Ceremonies Ltd, and I’m a member of The Association of Independent Celebrants. I’ve been leading funeral ceremonies and memorials since 2017 and weddings since 2022.
For funeral and memorials, I can help you to pay personal and unique tribute to the life of a loved one through sensitive, practical support and careful scripting. I seek to capture their essence and what is loved about them and to build a sense of how you feel a ceremony could pay them most fitting tribute, also being sure the ceremony serves your needs.
For weddings and civil partnerships, I look to understand what is special about your relationship and the sense of purpose you hold for getting married, giving options for symbolic ritual, music and readings. I aim to generate a uniquely creative, entertaining and heartfelt script for the ceremony.
My first degree was in English and philosophy. I then studied acting at drama school before working as an actor, voice artist and writer in theatre, TV and radio. Combining this experience with my work as a celebrant, I’ve recently begun writing people’s life stories, collaborating with a local designer to create legacy books and making professionally narrated recordings of life-stories and shorter form tributes.
Photographry, Laura Doddington
About me
I grew up in Manchester then moved to Scotland to study English and Philosophy at Edinburgh University. For ten years I lived in Glasgow, training as an actor in 2003 and working in theatre, BBC radio drama and narration and for commercial audiobooks, also writing for professional stage production radio. Lured south by an unexpected romance that led to marriage, I now live in Haslemere, Surrey with my wife, daughter and lurcher puppy.
Always drawn to the stories of people’s lives, I wanted to help others share precious memories and stories of their loved one at a time when it matters most, so I retrained in 2017 as an independent funeral celebrant.
After five years of working closely with families and funeral directors in Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex, I was asked by Cate, the daughter of a man whose funeral I’d led, to be the celebrant for her wedding. I confessed to Cate and her fiancé Paul that I’d never done this before. They didn’t mind. . . but I did! So I studied the wonderful, comprehensive training for celebrants offered by life transition organisation, Agnostic Scotland. Cate and Paul made their choices of ritual and vows, scripts were written and re-written and the result was a joyous occasion. It was a privilege to be trusted with the story of their love and their hopes for their future life together. This was the start of my work as a wedding celebrant.
I always assure people that there are no rules to any civil ceremony, encouraging families and couples to take their own view and approach to what is included on the day. But I offer any advice required and all the necessary practical support, creating - and making space for - genuinely personal tributes to life and love.
Last year, I was asked if I’d ever written a longer-form tribute to a person’s life. The question came from Alan Walker, the 94 year-old widower of a local teacher whose funeral ceremony I’d led in 2024. Again, I had to confess to being a novice. But it was perfect timing because - having professional experience as a writer - I’d been wanting to start offering this service. After 12 hours of interviews and the shaping of Alan’s story into prose, the fascinating events of his life have been committed to the pages of a wonderful book, produced by designer Michèle Frost. It has been a privilege to set down the story of his life for the benefit of his daughters and their families and I now also make audio recordings of life stories and memorial tributes set to photos.
Words of thanks
On behalf of James, Kate and myself, we would like to thank you for a very compassionate service given on our behalf. It included amusing and heartfelt words to honour Tom. Everyone commented on how professional it was. It was such a memorable day and great tributes paid to a great Dad and husband. How fortunate we were to have had you take part in the day. Many many thanks again Nick. Regards Julie.
Julie Legget
I just wanted to thank you for putting together such a lovely tribute for Ken’s service on Monday and delivering it so beautifully. So many of the guests commented that it was a wonderful reflection and celebration of Ken’s life - it was perfect.
Nicole Knight, November 2025
We just wanted to write to say a sincere thank you, for the wonderful service you conducted for Brenda/mum.
You captured her so beautifully, and the tribute you wrote was simply perfect. It struck exactly the right balance between sadness, celebration, humour and hope, allowing us to remember her for the funny, caring and unique person she was. There were smiles, laughter and tears throughout, which is exactly what she would have wanted. So many family members and friends commented afterwards that it was one of the best funeral services they had ever attended. That is a real testament to the time, care and thought you put into telling mum’s story. During such a difficult time, you gave us a service that we will always remember with great affection. Thank you for helping us celebrate Brenda’s life in such a meaningful and memorable way.
Sam and Family, Headley