Oak Celebrant Services

Oak Celebrant Services Funeral Celebrant My name is Simon Oak, and I am a funeral celebrant based on the outskirts of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. I also love to travel.

Born and bred in the city, I genuinely cannot think of an area of the country I would rather live. The city, the surrounding towns and villages, the countryside, the sporting and arts scene. I live in a great place, and the people that live here are some of the warmest, kindest, most genuine and straight talking people that I have met anywhere in the world. I have a wonderful wife, and have been blessed with twin daughters, both of whom I am immensely proud of. In my spare time I’m a keen runner, competing at masters level, and I love to watch football and motor racing. I regularly attend live music and comedy, and I like to walk and enjoy the nature that we are blessed with in our area. After 30 years as a manager in the construction industry, a sector I love, but found increasingly difficult to enjoy, I took the decision to retrain in celebrancy. Throughout my life I had been asked to write eulogies and read at weddings and funerals for family and friends, so it seemed like a natural path to follow. I chose UKSOC to train me, as they’re a leading light in celebrancy, and my membership offers you some unique guarantees that other organisations do not give. So what does my new role entail? We all know that we cannot live forever. Some are blessed with a long and fruitful life, whilst others are taken far too soon. Having lost my dad and my brother at an early age, I know this all too well. Regardless of when we go and how we go, I know that we all have a story to tell, and my role is to tell that story. You might like to think of me as a biographer. Losing someone is never easy, but I will work closely with you to give your loved one a unique ceremony which places them at the centre. Whatever you think is fitting, I will strive to deliver. I will play as big or as small a part on the day as you wish, but I will take charge of the preparations for the ceremony, and will see to it that the deceased receives a send of that they would love. If you know exactly what you want, I can make that a reality. If you have no idea where to start, I can guide you through the process of creating a ceremony, and suggest music, poems, readings or prayers that you may wish to include. I am happy to lead funerals from completely humanist celebrations of life through to full on Christian faith-based ceremonies. What is most important to me is that I create a unique ceremony to suit the desires of the one we are saying goodbye to and their loved ones. I will lead cremations, burials, resomations and memorial services at a location that you think suits the occasion the best. My role is to serve and support you however I can, in what can be a very distressing time. I regularly work in South Yorkshire, North East Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire, but if you want me to travel further afield, then I’m happy to discuss that as well. Feel free to contact me if my services are of interest, or if you simply have more questions that you would like to ask. There’s no charge for a chat, and it might just take a weight off your mind. Thanks for taking time to look at my page.

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week. Sadly, I've led a number of funerals for babies who never made it. In...
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.

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 ...
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.

***deprevention

All of the crematoriums that I work in have an organ. Sadly, they are rarely used, but when they are they can create a w...
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.

The rain might not have been welcome for many who had summer plans this week, but it has definitely been welcomed by nat...
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.

September 10th is World Su***de Prevention Day. Tragically, every 90 minutes, someone in the UK or Ireland dies by su***...
04/09/2025

September 10th is World Su***de Prevention Day. Tragically, every 90 minutes, someone in the UK or Ireland dies by su***de and 1 in 4 of us has had suicidal thoughts. Samaritans surveyed people with lived experience of su***de and the majority told them that their suicidal thoughts have been interrupted. 60% said their suicidal thoughts had been interrupted by someone close to them, like a friend or family member, whilst 14% said their suicidal thoughts had been interrupted by a stranger or someone they didn’t know. The construction industry, which I started working in in 1991, loses 2 men a day to su***de. We have to do all that we can to bring these figures down. Each one is a life and each loss leaves grieving family and friends who wish they could have done more. If I never lead another funeral for a victim of su***de, it won't be a moment too soon. have launched their 2025 campaign to help people know how to interrupt people's suicidal thoughts. Details can be found on their website and the campaign has been co-created with people who have lived experience of suicidal thoughts. Let’s prevent su***de today. Because tomorrow’s too late.

It's that time of year again folks, and the Co-op have released their funeral music charts for the past 12 months. What ...
28/08/2025

It's that time of year again folks, and the Co-op have released their funeral music charts for the past 12 months. What would you choose? Do you go with the classics like My Way, or do you opt for something more individual? The top 10 favourites for this year are, in reverse order...

10. You Raise Me Up by Westlife
9. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynne
8. Abide With Me (hymn)
7. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler
6. Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran
5. The Best by Tina Turner
4. You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry & The Pacemakers
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy
2. My Way by Frank Sinatra
1. Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman

Glorious geraniums! Sherwood Forest Crematorium sits on the edge of Sherwood Forest and enjoys views of the forest all a...
21/08/2025

Glorious geraniums! Sherwood Forest Crematorium sits on the edge of Sherwood Forest and enjoys views of the forest all around, so the immaculately kept grounds of the crematorium are in stark contrast; but when I drove down the driveway on Monday morning, the grey August day was brightened up by the explosion of pink that greeted me. The team there do a great job, and there are numerous waterbirds that call the nature pond their home. See if you can find the bee enjoying the geraniums in the close up 🐝

It was good to read this week that building work has begun on a memorial garden to remember those affected by the Legacy...
14/08/2025

It was good to read this week that building work has begun on a memorial garden to remember those affected by the Legacy funeral directors scandal have been confirmed. The site, at Hull's Northern Cemetary, will include name plaques, seating, and bird baths. It is set to be completed by late September. There will also be a private ceremony for families and loved ones to inter ashes at the memorial later this summer.

There are two memorial gardens planned, and work is expected to begin later this month at the second site at Lelley Fields Crematorium, which sits to the east of the city. Hopefully the completion of these two memorials will help the families affected by this awful chapter to move on, and that something like this will never be allowed to happen again.

The photo is an artist's impression of what one of the memorial gardens could look like, issued by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

I met Lilian when I led her husband's funeral, back in February. She's a lovely lady, who lives quite close to me, and a...
07/08/2025

I met Lilian when I led her husband's funeral, back in February. She's a lovely lady, who lives quite close to me, and after the funeral she sent me a lovely thank you card. I thought that would be that, so it was a lovely surprise when I returned from holiday the other week to find a package had been delivered containing a poetry book, one of which was written by Lilian herself. She has a natural gift for poetry, and I will certainly be using some of the poems in the book for some of my funerals in the future. Thank you Lilian ☺️

Last Friday I had the pleasure of leading a funeral where these two magnificent beasts were pulling the hearse. They wer...
31/07/2025

Last Friday I had the pleasure of leading a funeral where these two magnificent beasts were pulling the hearse. They were immaculately behaved and gave a nice touch to one of the biggest funerals I've done to date. It was also the final funeral of Michael Fogg from Michael fogg Family Funeral Directors before he and his wife, Cheryl, begin a well earned retirement up at their farm in North Yorkshire. Michael helped me when I started out in the funeral industry, for which I'll always be grateful. He sold the business earlier this year, so the funeral home will continue to run as part of R & K Jepson Independent Family Funeral Directors, who have an excellent reputation and five generations of experience in the industry. I'm looking forward to being part of the next chapter.

This year, Sheffield funeral directors, Peace Funerals, celebrate their 30th anniversary, and last Friday night I was lu...
24/07/2025

This year, Sheffield funeral directors, Peace Funerals, celebrate their 30th anniversary, and last Friday night I was lucky enough to be invited on their anniversary celebration on a disco barge on the Tinsley Canal. It was a great night and I'm thankful for the invitation. Here's to the next 30 years 🍻

Not everything goes to plan in life, and funerals are no different. I recently did a funeral where the gentleman's daugh...
03/07/2025

Not everything goes to plan in life, and funerals are no different. I recently did a funeral where the gentleman's daughter got stuck in traffic, so we delayed the start. Due to the preparation that I do beforehand, I knew exactly how long the funeral was going to last, so I knew exactly how long we could delay the start, without over running and delaying the following funeral. The daughter still hadn't arrived when we started, but thankfully, because we delayed the start, she was able to be there by the end and got to say a last goodbye to her dad. Things happen, that's life, but careful preparation allows for the best outcome possible. It was nice to hear that the family appreciated the efforts in their thank you card.

Address

West Bank Drive
Sheffield
S255

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