A beautiful and unforgettable service written and delivered just for you.

Alison Read, Funeral Celebrant

Tel 07908044643

A life lived well and a life remembered well.

Qualified and Experienced Celebrant

Every one of us is unique, and so is every service.

I write every service from scratch, tailoring it to the needs and wishes of the individual family. My commitment to you is to provide a service that is truly beautiful, inspirational and rich with meaning.

As your celebrant, I’m there for you, 24/7.

I guide you through the planning and preparation at your pace. I find out where you are at and we move forward from there, striving in partnership to create the most wonderful tribute for your loved one.

I deliver the service to the highest of standards. I pride myself on my public speaking and prepare thoroughly so that the delivery of your carefully and lovingly prepared service is flawless.

Beautifully Written – Inspirationally Delivered – Uplifting – Memorable

Trained by the Academy of Professional Celebrants.

Over 20 years experience of speaking to large audiences.

Qualified ILM Level 5 Coach skilled in Level 3 Listening and Effective Questioning.

English and Literature graduate with over 20 years experience of teaching English and Literature.

I use sensitive and skilled questioning to help us get to where we need to be, but we go there gently and with plenty of smiles along the way.

I offer extensive knowledge of literature and poetry when it will enrich your service and help us find the words you want to say.

Your Service, Your Way.

Remember it is your service and there is no set way to remember your loved one – my role is to make your wishes possible. If you want dancing in the aisles, we will make sure it happens! I write every service from scratch, tailoring it to the needs and wishes of the individual family. As we plan the service, my carefully considered questions will enable you to achieve absolute clarity about what you want to say. Many memories, reflections and observations will emerge too. We will work through them gently, letting your loved one’s unique story and your particular wishes steer each decision about what to include. I pride myself on having the creativity to ensure we weave together everything you want and nothing important to you is missed out. We will work our way through the love, laughter and loss to distil your loved one’s legacy. We will find the right words, music, verse and poetry to celebrate what made your loved one so very special and significant.

There are times when only perfection will do: honouring your loved one in the very best way possible, is one of those moments.

Funeral Service (£220)

What is included?

Initial face-to-face meeting to explain the process, answer any questions and plan the service in detail.
Finalise music choices, verse or poetry you may wish to include
Provide support and guidance to anyone who would like to speak or contribute on the day.
Plan the Order of Service booklet and/or a Visual Tribute if you choose to have these.
A draft of the whole service and as many revisions as you want.
Phone calls or Zoom calls with additional friends or family who you would like to be consulted.
Early arrival on the day to welcome your guests as they arrive.
Available at the end of the service to family and guests.
Provide you with a commemorative copy.

Scattering or Interring of Ashes Ceremony

Create a special place to remember and reconnect with your loved one.

£70

✓

Planning meeting

✓

Unlimited revisions

✓

Delivery of ceremony

✓

Commemorative copy

Memorial Service

A celebration of your loved one at a time that is most meaningful for you.

£200

✓

Planning meeting

✓

Unlimited revisions

✓

Delivery of service

✓

Commemorative copy

Memorial Walk

A guided walk in a location of your choice with pauses for reflection, verse and tributes.

£320

✓

Planning meeting

✓

Unlimited revisions

✓

Guided walk with speeches

✓

Commemorative copy

Pet Cremation, Burial or Tribute

A bespoke service tailored to your needs.

£160

✓

Planning meeting

✓

Liaison with other services

✓

Unlimited revisions

✓

Commemorative copy

“outstanding”

“I have had the privilege of witnessing Alison’s ability to craft and deliver truly outstanding funeral ceremonies, making the final tribute to loved ones both heartfelt and memorable.”

Stuart A Logan, Director of The Academy of Professional Celebrants

“wonderful service”

“Would just like to thank you for the wonderful service…you did a great job.”

Mark

“perfect”

“Thank you, Alison. Everything was perfect.”

Baupinder

“absolutely beautiful”

“Thank you very much, Alison. The service is absolutely beautiful.”

Lisa

“one of the nicest celebrants”

“I have had nothing but the highest praise for Alison’s attention to detail and empathy shown during her family meetings and delivery of the services. She is clearly very able to understand the needs of the bereaved. In my fifty years service at this branch I regard her as one of the nicest celebrants anyone could hope to meet.”

David Brown, Funeral Director, Joseph Tate Funeral Service

“extremely happy”

“We were extremely happy with the way the service went and we would like to thank you very much. Everybody commented on how well it went and your speaking in particular.”

Rita

“very helpful and friendly”

“I found Alison very helpful and friendly to work with. Alison’s assistance with my eulogy was very much appreciated as regards advice, content and timing. Very good on the day with the organisation and welcoming people.”

John Price – 5 Star review on The Celebrant Directory 21.6.2024

“clear, calm and positive”

“Both I, and the family, appreciated your delivery of the service in such a clear, calm and positive manner. The amount of content that the family had requested must have made it difficult to present and incorporate in the allotted time.”

Tim Hardwick, Funeral Manager, W Storey Funeral Service

“inspiring”

“Thank you so much for yesterday. Everyone said how interesting and inspiring the eulogy was. We will highly recommend you in the future. Thank you for making our dad’s day so easy, lovely and warm.”

Vicki

“beautiful”

“Thank you so very much for the beautiful way you have written dad’s eulogy.”

“uplifting”

“An outstanding service for my friend, Vic. It was a truly uplifting reflection of a life extremely well lived. Thank you.”

David

Why choose Alison Read?

I bring an unwavering commitment to the client. It is a privilege and an honour to serve a family in the role of funeral celebrant. I fully respect the opportunity for the preparation of the service, as well as the final service itself, to make significant contributions to the grieving process. I bring positivity to my sense of possibility, going the extra mile to make your hopes and wishes for the service a reality, whatever they may be. I listen very carefully to what you share, piecing together the fragments, making links and finding significant themes. I promise a service in which you will see your loved one shine, vivid and bright. I draw on extensive knowledge of music and verse, and combine this with insight and creativity to convey your loved one’s essence and how much they mattered to you. My proven record of composing memorable, inspirational and beautiful services confirms this. Finally, I will share the whole service with you beforehand so that you can agree every detail – every aspect must be the very best it can be. I will also provide you with a commemorative copy of the service as a keepsake.

What do my clients say?

I do not ask for reviews. When a client is bereaved, my priority is to support rather than add anything to their to-do-list, no matter how small. However, clients often share an unprompted message of appreciation after reading the draft of their service, or after the service itself. You can see some of these above. I am proud that every service I have conducted has been positively received. If you drop me an email, I will happily send you references from experienced funeral directors who have observed first-hand how I work.