My name is Hazel Mitchell and I am an independent funeral celebrant. What this means is that write and conduct very personal services for funerals and memorials. Each individual ceremony is tailor made to reflect the life of the deceased and to the personal wishes of the family. Each life is entitled to a dignified and appropriate tribute with the focus being on the aspects that made that person special.

A Funeral Service is part of the healing process and the End of Life ceremony has two aims - the first is to celebrate the life of your loved one and also to be sensitive to your needs, at what can be a very sad and difficult time.

To enable me to create the ceremony you wish, it is obviously helpful to me to get to know as much as possible about the person who has died, as each ceremony is different and highly individual. This all helps to make the occasion more personal and special.

This information is usually gathered by means of me making a home visit to you, but if necessary this can also be done by phone or email.

It may be helpful to think about the following areas in preparation for my visit.

- where the deceased was born and grew up.
- Siblings and family members they grew up with.
- School days and childhood stories.
- Partners, children, grandchildren and other family members.
- Closest friends.
- Armed Forces/National Service.
- Careers and places of work.
- Groups and societies belonged to.
- Interests and achievements.
- Favourite memories.
- Musical tastes.
- Sayings, stories and anecdotes.
- What will they be most remembered for?
- Did the deceased ever make any personal request regarding their own funeral?
- Will anybody else be speaking/participating in the service?

I look forward to speaking with you, and meeting you soon, as well as any other family members or friends whom you would like to be involved in preparing the ceremony. Should you have any questions prior to our meeting, or are yet undecided as to whether or not this type of service will be
appropriate, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many people are puzzled as to why one would choose and independent funeral celebrant, but in this increasingly secular world, often families have no affiliation to a religious body in their area and during their lifetime may have developed their own beliefs which may not be a comfortable fit with their local church. Sometimes in these instances, a Humanist celebrant may be used, but again they do not always reflect the spirituality of the person whose life we will celebrate, as this association do not believe in any form of afterlife.

The individual ceremonies I create are positive and uplifting while being true to the essence of the deceased, whose life will often have a mixture of light and shade, success and failure. I want to create the ceremony which would reflect what they would have wanted and leave the loved ones with some sense of peace.

On most occasions, I will meet with the family of the deceased to talk about them and to create the kind of ceremony which truly reflects their background, beliefs, values and even idiosyncrasies and to fulfil the needs of those still remaining. If the family lives a long distance away, this may be more conveniently done by email and telephone.

I will take time to listen, offer suggestions as required and discuss with you the best way to honour the person whose funeral we are organising. Family or friend may want to pay their respects during the service, with poems, anecdotes or readings. That is fine, since there are no set rules about the format, just what works best for you. Whatever has significance for you and is inclusive of everyone, is welcome.

Sometimes people chose more unusual ways to say goodbye and whatever that may be I will try my best to accommodate this by working with your chosen Funeral Director. I really do care that you have the opportunity to say goodbye in a way that you, and they wouldb have wished.