Lives Celebrated - Mansfield funeral and wedding celebrant Wayne Swiffin

04/11/2025

Aren’t these two lovely?

These are two memory bears that have today been hand-delivered to their new homes.

They’ve been sewn with love, to be cherished, just as the memories of loved ones are cherished.

We’re proud that we’re helping people just a little bit.

Memory bears are created using materials from a loved one’s item of clothing, such as a shirt or a jumper.

If you would like to order a Memory Bear, simply send us a message on WhatsApp or text 07854 689914. You can also message this page on Facebook.

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For every Memory Bear created, we make a donation to a group in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire, that brings together retired people who use their skills and enthusiasm to help other voluntary groups in the village.
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Keepsakes, by Lives Celebrated

04/11/2025

Floral tributes can be anything you want them to be, to reflect who a person was or what they liked.

This if from a florist, Flowerz by Angie & Co, in Mansfield Woodhouse.

03/11/2025

Up at Mansfield Crematorium for the monthly Bereavement Cafe Mansfield.

A lovely display of Royal British Legion poppies available.

(With my marketing hat on, love the cenataph POS display design).

31/10/2025

This Bereavement Cafe Mansfield might be something useful for you, or someone you know.

It’s free. There’s cake. And coffee.

Grief is a funny old thing.

It affects us in different ways, and there is no right way or wrong way to grieve.

There is no rule book.

There is no time limit on grief.

It can go strangely quiet, and then knock you for six at unexpected moments.

Big birthdays and milestone anniversaries can be painful.

But so too can getting two cups of tea ready when, in fact, you only need to make the one.

Big crowds and loud noises can blot out the sadness, but an empty seat next to you at the football can remind you of gaps in life.

We don't have definitive answers.

But we do have people who can listen, who can talk, who can share a moment, who know the feelings that grief brings.

Our next Bereavement Cafe Mansfield takes place on Monday. November 3 between 10am and 12noon at the Flower Hall at Mansfield & District Crematorium.

You are welcome to come along. There is no cost. We do have coffee, and tea, and cake.

The cafe is purely there for those who are grieving.

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The cafe is brought to with the help of the team at Mansfield & District Crematorium (Mansfield District Council - My Mansfield), PoFfles, and Flare Print Studio.

29/10/2025

Webcasting comes into its own for funeral services.

I’ve had families from across the world tune into funeral services.

Separated by distance, brought together to celebrate lives.

🌍 Saying Goodbye, Together – Wherever You Are 💐

Not everyone can attend a funeral in person – whether due to distance, health, or other commitments. That’s why choosing a webcasting streaming service helps families stay connected during life’s most important moments.

🎥 What is Funeral Webcasting?
It’s a secure, private live stream of the service, viewable from anywhere in the world. Loved ones can join in real time or watch the recording later, available for up to 28 days. There is also the option to have a personal copy for keepsake.

💡 Why Choose Webcasting?
Include family & friends who can’t be there physically
Revisit the service as part of the grieving process
Share access securely with a unique login
Professionally managed for high-quality audio & video
Helps preserve memories with optional keepsakes

💬 “Distance means so little when someone means so much.”
💬 “Just having my family turn round to give me a wave made a world of difference.”

Speak to a Funeral Service Specialist at Ken Gregory and Sons to learn more.

27/10/2025

All funerals are unique.

Some are quiet and traditional.

Some have laughter and some do not.

All funerals are unique.

When I visit a family, I get a sense of what sort of funeral is needed.

So a funeral service might be quietly traditional, or it might be full of laughter.

As people’s stories are unique, so too ptheir funerals.

A recent email from a lady said that the service for her husband “was beautiful and also different. Everyone said it was a real celebration of X######x and not morbid like some they have been to”.

And another said: “It was perfect thank you everyone commented on how lovely the service was and you yourself thank you so much you definitely was the perfect person for us.”

So if you’re needing a funeral celebrant in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire areas (or further afield for that matter), then get in touch.

My email is wayne@livescelebrated.co.uk

My phone number is 07854 689914.

WS

23/10/2025

Spotted a couple of jobs going locally in the funeral sector, so thought I’d share them.

Tithe Green Natural Burial are looking for a Digital Marketing & Community Executive to “support our growth online and in-person”.

Details here:
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4311376894/

And, recruiting is going on for crematorium technicians for the new crematorium at Shirebrook.

The site, being developed by Bolsover District Council and partners, is due to open early next year.

Details of the jobs are here:

https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=58d092a0b9a612b9&from=appshareios

22/10/2025

Absolutely cracking song played at a funeral service I led today.

(Think it’s in me top five (well, maybe top 10).

Anyway, it took me back to sixth form and university.

Today’s service was for a chap who died so young (a few months younger than myself) and it was a reminder to live your life.

Maybe simply drinking a coffee or tea with friends, listening to a favourite song, watching a band, are the big things in life.

REMASTERED IN HD!Music video by Queensryche performing Silent Lucidity (DVD).

22/10/2025

Who would want this to take them to their funeral service?

This Nottingham Forest-themed hearse is a new one and is proving exceptionally popular in Nottingham and surrounding areas.

It’s driven by Wayne Lambord, from M.A. Mills Funeral Service , who has been in the funeral industry for 15 years or so.

I’ll be speaking with Wayne properly in a week or two but I’d be interested to know if this hearse is a bit of you.

Or if not, what sort of hearse would you like?

(cc A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service)

15/10/2025

What a thoughtful idea.

15/10/2025

Not posted for a little while.

But then again, I've been away.

A cruise, no less, that had an itinerary that was almost perfect.

I can now tick off Istanbul as a place I have been to properly (rather than flying into and then on to North Cyprus).

I can tick off visiting the Acropolis and the Parthenon and the Erechtheum in Athens.

As my wife and I read Classics at university, it was a dream to visit Athens. And now we have.

And been to Ephesus too. And Delos.

I've long thought that life should be measured in experiences rather than things. It should be about memories.

And we certainly made some memories on our cruise.

I am so grateful for that.

25/09/2025

As well as being a celebrant mistaken for a vicar, or a celebrant who makes people “snot down their faces” (see previous post), I may have to also become a Rock N Roll Celebrant.

A service just recently had a lot of talk about rock music, including some of my favourite rock bands, like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest.

Couldn’t help but tap my fingers when I played (Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult.

(Reminds me, once played an Elvis track at a funeral service held in a community centre. I had the microphone in my hand - took me all my effort to not do an Elvis impression).

Anyway.

I love rock music. Anything from Queen to Metallica, and from Alice Cooper to Eric Clapton.

It was good to see many people in the chapel were wearing rock band T-shirts.

(I really ought to have worn my Alice Cooper tour T-shirt instead of, or under, my blue and white striped shirt).

So, if you want a Rock N Roll celebrant, get in touch.

Don’t ask me to sing though, I’m as tuneful as a tin of beans.

Here’s a song I play quite a lot at funerals. Not a heavy rock track, but it is from the best band ever in the world ever.

Taken from Innuendo, 1991 and Forever, 2014.Click here to buy the DVD with this video at the Official Queen Store:http://www.queenonlinestore.comTaken from t...