Oak Celebrant Services

04/12/2025

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to the members of Anston Womens Institute. It was an enjoyable evening, with me giving them an insight into the day to day role of a Celebrant, along with some of the lesser known elements of the funeral industry. I then spent time answering their questions and listening as they shared some of their own stories. Thank you for the invitation ladies. I hope you enjoy the photos I took at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium in Sheffield.

27/11/2025

Woodland Burial by Pam Ayres

Don’t lay me in some gloomy churchyard shaded by a wall,
Where the dust of ancient bones has spread a dryness over all,
Lay me in some leafy loam where, sheltered from the cold,
Little seeds investigate and tender leaves unfold.

There kindly and affectionately, plant a native tree,
To grow resplendent before God and hold some part of me.

The roots will not disturb me as they wend their peaceful way,
To build the fine and bountiful, from closure and decay.
To seek their small requirements so that when their work is done,
I’ll be tall and standing strongly in the beauty of the sun.

20/11/2025

Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Sadly, I've done a few funerals for people taken from us by pancreatic cancer, including a good friend in his early 50s. Unfortunately, by the time it's detected, it's often too late, so it's important that we all know the symptoms. These are indegestion, tummy pain or back pain, changes to your poo, unexplained weight loss or appetite loss and signs of jaundice.

Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most common cancer in the UK, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths. You can reduce your chances of getting it by making healthy lifestyle choices like quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables while cutting back on red and processed meats.

Don't live in fear of cancer, but be aware of it. 💜

13/11/2025

Last weekend I was sat talking with friends and we got onto the topic of funerals (as often happens to me). They began talking about the different types of funeral, and we got onto resomation, also called water cremation, which is a service offered by some branches of Co-op Funeralcare and some independent funeral directors. The discussion made me think that maybe it's time to reshare the blog I wrote about different types of funeral, back in 2022. I hope you find it interesting.

Introduction Choosing which type of funeral is right for you or your loved one can be tricky. There are some options that we are...

06/11/2025

For some reason society seems to have lost the art of patience. This is something that has been raised by a Beverley Funeral Director recently. He's not the only person to experience this. Several of the Funeral Directors that I work with have had people cut them up, beep them or make hand gestures. Life is fast paced these days, but imagine if this happened at one of your loved one's funerals. If you find yourself in a rage, please count to ten, gather your thoughts, and proceed with patience. It really makes no difference if you're five minutes late. Thanks everyone ❤

Beverley-based Lewis Northen says drivers are pushing into funeral processions.

30/10/2025

Cemetery space is always at a premium, and City Road Cemetery, the largest cemetery in my hometown of Sheffield, isn't excluded from this issue, so it was good to hear, recently, that some additional space is being created, and that, long-term, the Council plans to secure 12 to 24 hectares of new land for four to six new cemeteries over the next 50 to 100 years. These plans include dedicated spaces for natural and faith-specific burials. Sadly, bereavement services always seem to be low down on the list of expenditure, so this is great news, as is the upgrade works planned for Mansfield Crematorium, which I visit several times a year.

23/10/2025

As you know, I love a novel floral tribute at a funeral, and this one really caught my eye. It caused a bit of a buzz...
..Sorry, I'll get my coat

16/10/2025

In the summer of 2022 I led my first funeral, after deciding that I desperately needed a career change and training to be a funeral celebrant. I will always be grateful for being given the opportunity by a local funeral director. After all, they didn't know who I was, I had no references and they were putting their reputation on the line. There is no second chance in this job. It has to be right, first time and every time. So I find it incredible that yesterday I led my 500th funeral for a gentleman who lived in the same care home as my mum for the last two years of his life. It was with Peace Funerals, who were one of the brave few who gave me an early opportunity (my sixth funeral was with them). I'll always be grateful to those who took the risk on me in the early days. But this isn't a numbers game. It has been an honour to lead the funerals of over 500 people (there have been a couple of doubles in there), and I look forward to the next 500 and more. Mine is a fantastic job, that I love doing, and it is wonderful that I can help families in their time of need.

09/10/2025

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week. Sadly, I've led a number of funerals for babies who never made it. In all cases, whilst the family never got to meet their baby, they all felt a special bond and a huge amount of love for their little one. Such funerals are always heartbreaking to be a part of, but they are hugely important and I would never turn one down (I know some celebrants won't do them). are a charity who understand the impact that pregnancy and baby loss can have on all aspects of people's lives, including their mental health. They offer specialist counselling that is designed for that purpose and is provided free of charge. If you need them, Petals are there for you.

02/10/2025

I had a week off last week, but before that I led the funeral of a wonderful man for a lovely family at Sherwood Forest Crematorium, which was looking glorious in the September sun. However, the best news came on Tuesday, when I found out that Jason, who I posted about last week, has been found after a fraught week. He's now back safely with his loved ones, which was a relief for everyone who knew him.

18/09/2025

All of the crematoriums that I work in have an organ. Sadly, they are rarely used, but when they are they can create a wonderful atmosphere. I remember one funeral that I led, in Chesterfield, where a family friend was a professional music director. He absolutely blew the windows out of the chapel with a rousing rendition of All Things Bright & Beautiful. Most of the organs are relatively modern, and not much to look at, but the organ at Sheffield's City Road Old Chapel doesn't fall into that category. It's a thing of beauty and I hope that one day I hear it played with passion.

11/09/2025

The rain might not have been welcome for many who had summer plans this week, but it has definitely been welcomed by nature, and the flowers at Chesterfield Crematorium looked resplendent the other day after a good soaking over the weekend.