Toogood Ceremonies

17/07/2025

So rewarding and humbling to receive these words from the daughter of a lovely lady we said farewell to last week.

17/07/2025

Last week we celebrated the life of a very special lady, a life full of love for her family. She loved roses and so the poem chosen by her daughter, 'If Roses Grow In Heaven', was particularly special and moving.
It was very touching to receive these words from the lady's daughter a few days later.

'Hi Mark,
It was such a lovely ceremony for mum. Everything was perfect, thankyou so much. Everyone commented how beautifully conducted it was and the best funeral service they had been to for a long time.
I think it reflected how mum was, beautiful, vibrant and happy.
Thankyou so much for everything, and wish you all the best.' J

25/06/2025

What a lovely idea ❤️

Westerleigh is proud to share “This Letter Says I Love You” - a beautiful book inspired by a young girl named Matilda, who is the daughter of a Westerleigh colleague.

This heartfelt book is available for anyone to read in our Willow Tree Cafe and follows on from the Letters To Heaven initiative.

Pop in for a coffee, have a read and maybe post a letter to you loved one 💙

14/05/2025

07/05/2025

02/05/2025

A week ago today it was my absolute honour to lead the wedding ceremony for Chloe and Matt at The Mount Without. The whole day was full of love, joy and laughter and it was wonderful to see a couple so happy.
Credit to Luke Cummins for super photos of the day.

16/04/2025

I'm always very touched to receive such lovely words from families. So glad that I can support and work with them to give their loved ones the service they would have wanted, the right balance between celebration and remembrance.

'I can't thank you enough for making mum's send off yesterday so very special. It was a beautiful service — solemn and respectful, but with a lot of humour too, which mum would have loved.

Everyone has come to me to say how great you were, and how fitting the eulogy was, and just how much the whole day filled them with emotion and thankfulness for a life well lived.

We will miss mum so much, but her spirit lives on through us all!
We couldn't have done it without you, and I am very grateful that you supported me so much through the preparations.'

04/04/2025

I always find a walk around the gardens at Westerleigh Crematorium peaceful and calming before or after leading a service. Even when it’s cold and dull there’s always something lovely to see, but on a warm spring day it’s especially wonderful! 😊

29/03/2025

28/03/2025

It was an honour to lead the service for a lovely lady this week at Westerleigh Crematorium. One of her passions was live music so her daughter had arranged for the Donaghue Quartet to sing the hymns and songs rather than have recorded music. They were accompanied by Julian Elloway on the organ and it was simply magical. After starting with Abide with Me and then ending with Feel the Love there wasn't a dry eye in the chapel. It was an amazing way to celebrate the life of this very special lady. 🙏🎶

27/03/2025

After many years at the top, old blue eyes’ My Way has been knocked off the number 1 most played song at funerals. From January this year, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s Time To Say Goodbye is now top spot. A very moving song and one a family chose for their loved one in a service I led last week. ❤️

16/02/2025

Loved doing some training for Celebrant Circle in Redditch recently. It was a privilege to work with CC’s February cohort who were amazing and will all be wonderful celebrants. Really interesting to see things from the ‘other side’!