Funeral Celebrant Sheenagh

17/04/2026

Another beautiful and poignant poem by Claire from worduponthewall

I think many of us who have been bereft look for and take comfort from these “signs” …I know I certainly do

16/04/2026

Looking forward to our regular Small Business Networking meeting this evening in Snaith.

Sharing ideas - Supporting each other - Updates on local Business News

16/04/2026

What kind of funeral service should you choose?

There are more options than ever these days of types of service and of service providers

* Traditional services for Cremation or Burial
* Religious or Non Religious (or a combination of both)
* Eco or Green options
* Simple services offering a quieter farewell
* Direct Cremation (where there’s no service at the crematorium). This can suit some people but it’s worth knowing all your options.

You may choose a Local Funeral Director - there are Independent FDs and large corporate companies and there are also online companies.

Please just make sure you know what each can offer and remember that there are many benefits to having local support.

If you’d like to chat about the choices available without any pressure you can always talk to your Local Funeral Director or Independent Celebrant 🤍

14/04/2026

Sometimes, it’s the quiet presence of a few that brings the deepest sense of poignancy.

Today we said farewell to a man whose life had been shaped by challenges, estrangement and unconventional life choices, preferring the safety of his own company and walking his path in his own way.

We accompanied him in to chapel to a song that reflected this life choice so powerfully - ‘Go your own way” felt especially fitting.

Our service was deeply moving, and I felt grateful to be able to draw on my experience as a former Mental Health Nurse to help shape a farewell that was both sensitive and compassionate, dignified and respectful.

As we bid him farewell we raised a toast with a can of Carling - his favourite tipple.

It was an honour to be entrusted by Michael our lovely Funeral Director from Fletchers Funeral services in Goole with creating and delivering today’s service as we acknowledged a life that deserved to be remembered with understanding and care - and we did just that. We were as always accompanied by their fabulous team of bearers who quietly and efficiently ensure our entrance is dignified and professional.

Services like these are a quiet reminder of how varied and fragile some peoples life journeys can be.

Following our service I went for a little wander around the wonderfully maintained garden area to just gather my own thoughts and sit and reflect.

The colours of the blossom trees were vibrant and I always find chapel grounds to be very tranquil places.

14/04/2026

13/04/2026

Choice 2 : Do you engage with a local Funeral Director or an Online company.

(This post is not specifically about choosing Direct Cremations - that’s a separate post) but were you aware there are online companies who will arrange attended funeral services via pre paid plans.

Choosing a local Independent Funeral Director can offer you much more of a human touch than any online only company can. Here’s just a few reasons why:

They are based in your community & they know your local community

They are named people who will offer you face to face support

You can sit face to face with them - at a really difficult time - they will arrange to meet you either at their premises or in the comfort of your home

They will listen and guide you and ask what you want - they don’t have a one size fits all approach. They can also offer you options to suit your budget, whatever that might be.

They will often go above and beyond to make sure your requests are accommodated

You will know where your loved one is being cared for - and that will be local - and be able to go and see them if you wish.

You will get continuity of care before, during and after the service

You’ll be supporting a local Business who have skilled and compassionate staff who actually care about the families they work with.

Online companies who offer pre paid funeral plans can be practical - please be mindful that they are not always cost effective.

You do have choices though and this option might be your / your loved ones preference - and that is fine.

All I would suggest is that if you are considering using an online company then create a list of questions to ask of them about where your loved one will be cared for, who will be looking after them, will you be able to see them if you want, how will they be conveyed to the Crematorium and by whom.

As always if within my content there is anything you wish to chat about then please do reach out

13/04/2026

If you've been thinking about going along to one of these groups ..... but hesitated ..... just go along.

You'll be met with a welcome - and a brew - no pressure - and tomorrow i'm sure you'll be glad you did.
Meetings in Goole and in Howden - take your pick

Whether you’re having a bad day, bad week or bad month, our groups are here for you. ❤️

Our groups run every Monday 7-9pm (excluding bank holidays) for any man 18+. A free, non-judgemental space to have a brew and a chat. ☕️

Visit our website to find your nearest group or drop an email to info@andysmanclub.co.uk to join our online groups.

Andys Man Club Goole
Andys Man Club Howden

12/04/2026

Choice 1 : Whether to have a service or not?

There is no legal requirement to have a service at all
(this is not about Direct Cremations - those will be covered in a separate post).

But for most people a service or gathering, however small or simple offers many advantages:

1. A time to pause
Following a death there is always such a lot of things to do - lots of things to sort - lots of admin - and people don’t always feel they have time to actually pause and take in what’s happened. A service or gathering can offer us some structure to help us do this.

2. A time for people to come together
How many times do we hear people say that the only time they seem to see people is at funerals?
Having people around us when we are bereft can help us feel not so alone.

3. A time where we can speak our persons name and share memories.
At services I officiate I often hear people saying they’ve learnt things about the persons life they didn’t know or I see facial reactions that evidently have brought back memories.

4. It can help us to begin the grieving process because a gathering offers us an opportunity for some acknowledgment of what has happened and helps us to start and find some closure.

A service doesn’t have to be formal - doesn’t have to be held in a Crematorium or Religious building.

It doesn’t have to be formal or solemn - unless you want it to be.

It can be gentle - reflective - spiritual - quirky …… or a combination of a number of these elements - basically it can be whatever you want it to be

If you would like an informal and absolutely no obligation chat about some of these CHOICES please do feel able to contact me

12/04/2026

Many people, thankfully only need to arrange one or perhaps two farewell services in their lifetime - so it’s understandable that you might not be aware of just what choices there are these days.

As a Funeral Celebrant, it can be easy to assume that everyone is familiar with the range of choices and options available when planning a farewell but that’s not the case.

Often when I meet with families it’s evident they think that a farewell service has to be a certain way - they will ask
“is that allowed” or
“would it be possible to…” or say
“I didn’t know we could do that”

Feedback I received following a recent service was from an older person who had never attended a Celebrant led service before - they said :

* they weren’t aware that people other than Vicars led services and
* didn’t realise that farewell services don’t have to all be religious and
* they were (nicely) surprised that we spoke about the person and their life.

At a family meeting recently a loved one wanted a piece of music that wouldn’t ordinarily be perhaps considered ‘traditional’ funeral music and were quickly shouted down by other family saying “I know x loved that but we can’t play that in the Crem” …….my response was why not?

So over the next couple of weeks I’m going to be sharing some of the different options and possibilities available - the choice should always be yours

- and as always - if you have any questions please ask away or share your thoughts.

Coming up first will be : whether to have a service or not

11/04/2026

As a Funeral Celebrant I (sadly) get to see lots of coffins - wooden, wicker, felt, cardboard and have also seen a Shroud used as an alternative to a coffin.

People choose different types or styles of Coffins for a number of reasons.

I do sometimes wonder if people are aware of the vast array of styles, designs and colours that are available - and that a bespoke design can be chosen.

Although there are some options available for people to purchase their own coffins online there are a number of considerations that you MUST consider before choosing this option....its not as straightforward as just making a purchase.

If you would like something that’s personal and bespoke please talk to your local Funeral Director. They can source a whole array of different designs - or request something bespoke and as you’ll hear on this video they can be sourced in a very timely manner.

As for me - well I’ve always thought I’d like a nice sea grass coffin with coloured bandings …..but the more I look at the designs produced by Steve Soult Limited I now think how fabulous would it be to have a Boxer dog carved in to the design.

As my followers will know I am a huge advocate of CHOICE - not just for the service location and content - but also your coffin.

11/04/2026

Although April is designated as National Pet month - today is recognised as National Pet Day - a day to acknowledge the value that pets bring to our lives - and the value of their companionship …… but also and very sadly to highlight the profound and often under recognised emotions we experience when we have to say farewell to them.

I’ve only ever had dogs but I am sure the emotional attachment is felt by anyone who has shared a bond with another type of animal too.

For some people - including me, the unconditional bond I shared with the three Boxer dogs I’ve lost validated the immense sorrow I felt when I had to say farewell at the time and still feel now. With not having human family other than my hubby to call upon I can only imagine the intensity of my sorrow was akin to losing a human.

We have a memorial area in our tranquil Japanese garden area and in the next couple of weeks the flowering Azalea that marks the spot where our first baby Boxer was interred will start to bloom to coincide with her Birthday in early May.

Although predominantly I officiate farewell and memorial services for humans I also create pet farewell services too and will work with you to create an equally bespoke service to allow you to honour your pet. If this is something that would be on interest to you and you wish to have a no obligation chat please do not hesitate to contact me.

10/04/2026

Following my service today I needed a bit of a sugar fix so popped to the garden centre en route home and had a cheeky piece of Key Lime Pie.

This evening and over the weekend I have some post service admin to do, a service to prep for early next week and need to catch up with some Business admin - accounts, mileage and marketing prep but it looks like it’s quietening down - many of my Funeral Celebrant colleagues are also reporting this too.

When I first started out as a Celebrant whenever there was a lull it used to worry me that I’d maybe done or said something to upset the lovely Funeral Directors I worked alongside and was ‘out of favour’ but now I’ve parked my paranoia and instead see a lull as an opportunity to catch up with Business admin and actually spend some quality recharging my own health - in readiness for when the phone rings again…..because it will.

As the warmer weather approaches - for me that means being able to go for walks, get on with gardening jobs and go to Garden Centres (I love a good wander around a Garden Centre - and even better when they have nice cake!)

Happy weekend everyone