Hayley Pickering Funeral Celebrant

21/01/2026

Beautiful Woking Crematorium, I’ve been there a million times in my lifetime, but somehow i always manage to find something I’ve never seen before.

I love the the brass plaques on the wall, some of them date back a century, I can’t help but wonder when I read the names and dates who they were, what they looked like, their purpose in life… so much history under one roof x

Somewhere along the way, we learn that the most beautiful things in life were never meant to be held in our hands...
they were meant to be held in our hearts.
They are the people who sit besides us in silence and still make us feel understood.
The places that feel like home the moment we arrive.
The memories that return quietly, especially at night.
They are photographs that make us smile and ache at the same time.
Laughter that once filled the room and still echoes in our mind.
Moments so small they almost went unnoticed, yet now mean everything.
As the seasons move on, we realise how little we truly need to feel rich.
A familiar face.
A shared glance.
A memory that reminds us we were once deeply happy.
Time takes people, places, seasons...
but it can never take the feelings they left behind.
Those stay.
They always stay.

🕊️

19/01/2026

Absolutely delighted to be back officiating at Aldershot Crematorium today for the first time in over 18 months.

It has undergone a remarkable transformation, it still has all the positive aspects from before but now boasts a sleek and modern new look. It now has some added extras to make ‘our, us celebrants/ministers’ jobs much easier and a tad more luxurious!

I love it, beaming to be back in a place I feel so welcome and comfortable. Even saw the first of the Snowdrops making an appearance on the drive in! 🩷

15/01/2026

Hello Hayley,
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the beautiful and heartfelt service that you officiated for Mum yesterday, everything was perfect and I know it would have been exactly as she would have wished for.
Once again, thank you so much

My very best wishes

E*** ###

14/01/2026

This morning we said a fond farewell to a lady who’s precious life span a remarkable 105 years.
The oldest person I’ve ever had the privilege of officiating a service for.

We were joined by members of the RAF who came to honour her years of service in the Women’s Royal Air Force.

In 1939 aged just 19 she joined as a Mess Stewardess in the operational bomber comand unit and served for the duration of the war.

I don’t think we can truly comprehend what her role entailed entirely. Suffice to say she would have served the last meal a serviceman would have had before they embarked overseas never to return, in many cases she would have been the last female they ever encountered before they gave their tomorrow for our today.

As the years passed she cared for her parents and husband until their respective departures and was a treasured Mum and Nan.

She was a member of the RAF club for the final forty years of her life. Sharing happier times with fellow servicemen and women, raising money and awareness for veterans and ongoing service personnel.

She was the proud recipient of a 100th birthday card from our late Queen Elizabeth and recently received yet another card from the palace… a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla for her 105th birthday.

She passed away peacefully after leading a long and fulfilling life.

Today the sun shone, the Bugel sounded and as the flag lowered there was peaceful sense of pride and gratitude, it was the honour she so rightly deserved 🕊️

04/01/2026

My apologies for being four days late with my Happy New Year wishes! Ive been full of the lurgy since the 1st, thankfully it didn’t last too long and im on the up already!

It was a lovely family Christmas for us. I hosted for the first time in about 8 years! I’d forgotten how complicated and time consuming juggling oven space was! My parents stayed with us, it was the first time in 18 years that I’d woken up with my Mum and Dad on Christmas morning! They are all the Christmas magic for me, always have been and I’ve made sure my children have never missed even one with them. I treasure the Christmases I had with my grandparents and would give everything for one more.

My brothers visited with their wives/soon to be wives, my niece and nephew and bonus babes too. There were presents and food galore and the Call The Midwife Christmas Special of course!
I try so hard to soak it all in, appreciate the moment as I know in years to come I’ll look back and reminisce… exactly the way I do now of Christmas’s past. We yearn for the ‘good ole days’ but fail to realise that one day these will be the ‘good ole days’ we remember with such warmth and nostalgia.

New Year… I openly struggle with! I love the build up to Christmas and I enjoy the downtime just after, however for me New Year is officially the end. The house feels bare without the decorations I love SO much. I can’t help but evaluate what went well and inevitably what didn’t, the things I need to work on and improve.

I pack away Christmas and every year (as many of you know) I pack away my orders of service from the year. They don’t represent every one, often families don’t have them at all and sometimes there’s not enough for me to keep one but they certainly represent the majority. I look at all the names and dates, sometimes remind myself of their music choices and of course that creates thoughts of their families. I know they leave the year their loved ones last existed in and face entering their first year without them.

I never forget anyone and I enter the new year ready to support whoever needs me next. My final service of 2025 was New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow is my first service of 2026.

Whether it’s the first or the last of the year or the many in between… I’ll endeavour to make sure my whole heart and soul is dedicated to honouring each and everyone’s memory xx 🕊️

19/12/2025

The lovely memorial tree at Basingstoke Crematorium very early this morning.
I’m gutted I didn’t get a video of the resident ducks getting very loud about their breakfast being late, they certainly lightened the very heavy grief we were about to witness.

I always try to put my loved ones on a memorial tree somewhere. Christmas is no exception, I think and speak of them every day of the year. They are still very much part of the laughter, the memories, the nostalgia of the season. Sometimes tears creep out too, but I can say from experience that the day comes when you can think of them and feel peace, it’s no longer quite so heavy and you carry them with you as the celebrations continue through the years and future generations.

The tree was full of names, all so precious x

15/12/2025

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

08/12/2025

Been putting this off for days, not because I don’t want to do it but because occasionally a circumstance is so desperately sad I’ve no idea how I’ll find the words. This is definitely one of those times and although I knew it was coming and this would be my responsibility when the time came… it’s happened now, at Christmas.

I know this brave and loving family will not be celebrating Christmas this year but they will be celebrating their unique, sassy and smart daughter.

Here I am, creating her Eulogy. Trying to find the words to do her beautiful existence justice. I’ll do it, I’m doing it but my god I wish I wasn’t, despite that I’m glad it’s me, the opitome of mixed emotions

I can’t write in silence… also need to be comfy so excuse the toes, I know she wouldn’t mind!

Love Actually my choice of background noise… it’s Christmassy but also acknowledges all aspects of Love, in all its forms and stages of life. There would be no grief without love, but none of us would trade it would we x

01/12/2025

Honour loved ones this festive season by personalising a bauble for the Christmas tree at Easthampstead Park Cemetery and Crematorium 🕊️

Baubles, kindly donated by Co-op Funeral Care Earley, are available at the enquiries office during the following times:
🎄Monday to Friday (from 8 December): 9 am to 12 noon
🎄Weekends (until 21 December): 9.30 am to 1.30 pm

The tree will be available for decorating from Friday, 5 December.

Visitors may also place their own decorations within the grounds. All decorations will be respectfully removed after Twelfth Night (Monday, 5 January) - please collect any treasured decorations before this date.

For more information about the Christmas decorations, please visit the council's website through the link in the first comment.

18/11/2025

It’s my Celebranniversary!
9 years ago today I completed my training and walked away a Funeral Celebrant!
My training was a wonderful experience and set me up beautifully for the journey I was about to embark on… however ive learnt something new everyday since, built skills on my experiences, accumulated knowledge, learnt from others, from their stories and requests. No two days are the same, I never know what the next phone call will bring me but I can be sure that every time I am entrusted with a family and their loved one’s memory it enriches my existence more than I can possibly articulate adequately. That feeling has and never will get old and I hope I’m always needed to fulfil this role, I can’t imagine my life without that purpose xx

18/11/2025

Early dial up to Australia this morning!
Don’t get me wrong… I’d never want to return to remote working, HOWEVER… it is a freezing cold morning in the bleak mid winter and I can get away with being only half decent!!😂
No one will ever know!!! Might even plug in the heated blanket!💜🤷‍♀️😂

21/10/2025

Any knitters or crocheters out there willing to help this important cause??
I so wish I could knit/crochet!! My poor ole Nan tried to teach me but there was no hope!!🤣🩷💙

URGENT REQUEST
Our Angel Bears Charity are running extremely low on white/ neutral coloured knitted or crochet hearts.

We need these for our early pregnancy loss packs that we supply to NHS Trusts throughout the UK so families can receive something in memory of their babies no matter how early in the pregnancy they were sadly lost.

If you are able to help us we would be extremely grateful.
The address to send the items to is

Flat 1 Layton Court, Layton Road, Poole, Dorset Bh12 2bl.

This is the only address for our charity.
Thank you so much for your support.
🩷🩵