As previously mentioned, either you will contact me directly, or the funeral director may get in touch and suggest my services to you. As an independent celebrant, it is usually the former, but not exclusively.

I will arrange to meet you and family members of your choice either in person or online. The latter works particularly well when family is scattered across the country or globe and allows us all to communicate visually.

Initially, I will need the name of your funeral director and whether you have chosen a single or double amount of time at the crematorium or burial site. It is my job to make sure our timings work. Following our meeting, I make contact with the funeral arranger and set out our thoughts around the service.

Sometimes families already have ideas they wish to create; even if not, I will guide you through the structure of a potential ceremony and ask if anybody is prepared to speak or whether you wish to write something and have me read it out. I can also create the eulogy from information you give me.

I always like to see photos because they can tell so much about a person and the life they lived.

Over the next few days, I will be in touch to help create the ceremony, which might include musical items, readings and/or poems and maybe a visual tribute where we see photographs, reminding you of happy and significant times. These are usually set to music, again you choose the music that is meaningful for you, and the media services for the crematorium have a huge selection. I show you how to find this so you can browse and find the exact piece for you. I detail more in my brochure.

There are sometimes delicate questions I have to ask, however, it is my role to focus on how the person lived their life and what was important to them. It is a bitter sweet time for you, and I often wish I had got to know the person during their lifetime.

Occasionally family members might disagree about what they want said. That is up to you to decide. What I will say is that I am here to represent the person who has departed. While a sanitised version of their life is not going to be representative of the whole person, it is my job to provide a dignified and meaningful end to their journey as you say farewell.

Once we have the feel of the service decided we will work together to create the Order of Service, which you can either get printed independently, or the funeral arranger will organise.

I encourage people to take part if they can. If the idea of speaking at a funeral is too daunting, and we can all agree that, why not record a tribute and I will make sure it is included. This works well for any younger children who might want to have their voices heard. Or maybe they have drawn a picture, or chosen their favourite photograph which we can include in the visual tribute.

I stay connected to you throughout this upsetting time and behind the scenes I am also liaising with the funeral director, the crematorium or chosen site and you. Communication is vital at all stages and my professional eye will oversee all the elements, leaving you to focus on your feelings and the wider family members and friends who will be gathered together.

On the day, I make sure that what we have agreed is all in the right order on the media suite and that the other professionals have all they need for your service.

When the time comes, it is helpful for families to see a familiar face and somebody they can trust to honour the life of the departed.