Funeral Celebrant Sheenagh

11/03/2026

Today I had the privilege of leading a service for a lady who lived to the grand age of 92.

On my journey to Memoria Barnby Dun Doncaster today it was raining and windy but as the hearse pulled up the driveway blue sky and brilliant sunshine appeared.

In our service we reminisced about times before the outbreak of WW2 when houses had no running water, limited Gas and Electricity supplies and before the M62 was built - difficult to comprehend but a stark realisation of the things we take for granted these days. We shared some poignant childhood memories and there were tears of sadness but also smiles of happier memories.

Our music choices were two hymns and a piece of reflection music from the 1940s that I had never heard of - by an artist I’d never heard of - a song that was played at the ladies husbands funeral. I love the variety of music people choose and always ask families whether there is any significance to the music choices.

The most beautiful bright coloured flowers adorned the lady’s coffin & my photo doesn’t do them justice - they were stunning

My grateful thanks to our Funeral Director Andrew from Wades of Thorne for entrusting me to officiate today’s service and of course to the lovely down to earth family.

Thankyou also to our chapel attendant Mark for ensuring our chapel experience was seamless

11/03/2026

10/03/2026

I pride myself on doing the best that I can do for the lovely Funeral Directors who entrust me to work alongside them and their families - sometimes that requires a little more thought and effort.

I recently engaged with a lady in her 90’s who had lost her elderly Sister.

Ordinarily I would create a draft service and send it via email for the family to check and maintain contact via email / text / mobile phone.

This lady didn’t have a mobile phone or an email - which so many of us take for granted these days - so when I’d created the draft I drove back to her home with a paper copy for her to read - in larger size font as she had eyesight problems.

When I arrived she was clearly about to have her tea and I was met with the words
“Oh - I have my tea at 4pm”

Not to be deterred I left the draft and told her I would pop back on the Saturday morning en route from doing my shopping aa she doesnt live in the same town as me so that if there were any changes required I could note them whilst I was there and update my version when I got home.

She apologised for not being able to chat with me the previous day and said she was set in her ways 🤫

As I got up to leave she popped in her kitchen and then handed me a vanilla slice all neatly wrapped in grease proof paper “to have with a nice cup of tea” 😊

💝💝

09/03/2026

Another lovely poem by the talented Welch creator of Worduponthewall

I am sure this will resonate with many people - as it does me.

Whenever I find a white feather I know it’s a sign from one of my babies letting me know their spirit is close by

08/03/2026

International women’s day is a day for celebrating the achievements of women.

Although we don’t live in a world that is free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination against women what we can do is celebrate women’s achievements.

The funeral sector has traditionally been seen as a male orientated service but in recent years there has been an emergence of female Funeral Directors, Embalmers, Funeral Celebrants and Chapel staff who are reshaping the sector and promoting inclusivity.

To my fellow colleagues in the funeral sector -

The Funeral Directors and Arrangers
The Crematorium staff
and especially my fellow Funeral Celebrants

👏👏👏👏👏👏

08/03/2026

Child Bereavement UK are a national charity who provide a range of resources and training to help young people and families deal with Grief issues.

They also have a 24 hr helpline which is confidential.

This video suggests some of the ways to help a child or young person remember their loved one.

It’s so important to have ways of remembering the special people in your life - young people sometimes worry they will ‘forget’ things as they get older.

Birthdays, Anniversaries and occasions like Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas can be especially difficult - these might be the days that hit hardest so having a memory box or a memorable place to go can bring a sense of comfort and healing

07/03/2026

One of the benefits of having an Independent Funeral Celebrant to lead your farewell service is that we are permitted to include Religious, Spiritual or Symbolic elements - but equally if you want a totally secular service that’s absolutely fine too.

The content of the service needs to be whatever you want it to be

06/03/2026

*** Trigger warning ***

I do realise the subject of Assisted Dying is controversial for some people …

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This past week has brought two significant developments in the conversations around end-of-life choices:

ASSISTED DYING
In Jersey, an Assisted Dying law has now been approved and could come into effect as early as next year.

This would make Jersey the second place connected to the UK to approve such legislation, following the Isle of Man’s approval last year.

Both islands have proposed strong safeguards, including residency requirements.

In Jersey, individuals would need to have lived on the island for at least 12 months, while in the Isle of Man the requirement is five years.

These developments mark another step in the evolving debate about autonomy, compassion, and how societies approach end-of-life decisions.

WATER CREMATIONS
When it comes to funeral choices, people in Scotland will soon have a third option alongside burial and traditional flame cremation.

Earlier this week Scotland become the first part of the UK to approve water cremation (also known as Alkaline hydrolysis) as a more environmentally friendly alternative.

While there’s no official launch date yet, it’s believed the option could become available as early as 2027, giving families another choice when planning a funeral.

Although discussions about water cremation have been ongoing in the UK Parliament for some time, the process isn’t currently available in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

However, following Scotland’s approval, it’s expected these discussions may now move forward more quickly.

At the moment, the nearest facility offering water cremation is Pure Reflections in Navan, County Meath

06/03/2026

People who are grieving often feel the need to apologise for smiling or laughing - somehow believing that others may think they don’t care or they are betraying the person they’ve lost - and that’s absolutely not true.

So many times when I meet with families they will cry …. But when I ask questions about their person they smile and laugh too as they recall memories of happier times, fun things the person did - and that’s absolutely fine …..

05/03/2026

Today is world book day - and the focus this year is on reading for pleasure.

Many of you who have young children will be familiar with the day as your children excitedly go dressed to school in fancy dress as a book character and take a favourite reading book with them

Although I’m not an avid reader of fictional books I do like to read about Grief and I like to find resources that can help with either the creation of services (poems, readings etc) or that I can recommend to people who may find comfort in the content or that can help for example with explaining Death and Grief to children or younger people.

It was interesting to hear a news story on last nights Look North about children saying they preferred to read an actual physical book rather than an online version. One survey has shown that 76% of young readers liked the tactile experience of turning the pages and having a sense of ‘their book’ rather than looking at a digital device.

The same study identified that physical books enable better comprehension, less distraction and better interaction with their parents and teachers.

If ever I can be of help in suggesting or recommending books to help with the understanding of Grief or explaining Grief or Death to children please do not hesitate to contact me.

04/03/2026

Where can you scatter ashes?

You can scatter ashes on your own property without permission

If you’d prefer to scatter them on private land you will need the permission of the landowner.

If you’d prefer to scatter them in a public place like a park you should contact your local council beforehand just to ensure there are no objections.

Many Cemeteries and Crematoria will permit you to scatter ashes in their garden of remembrance but please contact them beforehand as they may require you to book an appointment and/or have designated areas where they permit ashes to be scattered.

Although you are permitted to scatter ashes in to a river or the sea you must be mindful of following environmental guidelines - avoiding marinas and places where people swim.

Also: when you are scattering ashes there are a couple of things to just be mindful of:

- Consider the direction of the wind (otherwise the ashes may blow back in your face)

- Consider your location to ensure it’s free from people walking around

- Don’t throw any containers in to a water course

If you would like a short service to be held at the same time as you scatter your loved ashes or prior to the interment of ashes and you would like me to officiate that service then please do not hesitate to contact me.

If I have already officiated at the Cremation service there will be no additional charge for my services - although please note I do ordinarily charge for mileage - and it will obviously depend on my availability.

02/03/2026

Today was my first day back at work and I must admit I had a few nerves this morning - wondering if, with taking a few weeks off I might have fallen out of favour with my two regular Funeral Directors and whether it might be a few weeks before my phone would ring.

I emailed both of them to let them know I was now back at work - I received a lovely email from one welcoming me back and then the other telephoned this afternoon asking me to officiate a service next week.

Being a Funeral Celebrant is tough in the present climate - with an ever increasing number of people opting for Direct Cremations with no memorial service and an even bigger number of new Celebrants appearing.

There is no room for complacency in being a Funeral Celebrant
There is no guarantee of repeat work as a Funeral Celebrant

Today I am feeling grateful and valued ❤️