About Me
So, I’m an Independent celebrant and I live in Essex with my husband of over 20 years Alan. Although based in Essex I am willing to travel but I am sure you want to know a bit more about me.
So why did I choose to become a celebrant?
After I suffered a major family bereavement I thought the funeral would be the worst day of my life, but the celebrant led funeral was amazingly uplifting. It was then that I decided I wanted to be able to provide that sort of moment and comfort, and those great memories for other people. I left a very successful teaching career of over 30 years, having been a middle manager, Head of PE, Head of Sixth form and Head of Psychology. I trained for over a year to become a celebrant and now choose to specialise in weddings, although I do perform other ceremonies too that includes funerals (contact me for details). I achieved NOCN Level 3 Certificate in Civil Celebrancy, and am a member of the Fellowship of Independent celebrants.
The skills I gained in my teaching career are very transferable to my role as a celebrant in terms of the professionalism, ability to work with a wide range of people and of course the public speaking skills gained leading assemblies and speaking in front of large audiences at open evenings, and staff training.
As a person I guess I am like a packet of liquorice allsorts! I have a wide range of interests and hobbies. I love travel and at times I am happy being a beach bum but on other holidays I can be a total culture vulture, and I love sporting holidays too like skiing. I like to do something unusual when on holiday so for example in Rome I went on a day tour of the city on a Vespa scooter, with a young Italian man as my guide. In Venice I went Kayaking along the canals, and I always include a food and drinks tour on my travels.
I love watching and playing sport. I support a top premier league football team and attend their games when I can. I also go to watch England cricket team with friends and family. I try and exercise on a regular basis and like to cycle, I have recently taken up meditation too. I am a massive music fan, at University I used to DJ and so I love many different types of music and try and attend festivals each year. My father managed cinemas so as you can imagine I am quite a movie fan, romcoms, musicals, really any type of movie is fine with me.
I love history having studied it as part of my degree. I regularly visit places of historical interest, National trust properties and especially air shows.
Charities I support include any animal rescue charities, SSAFA and other armed forces charities, “Centrepoint” and also restoration funds for “Just Jane” and “Sally B”.
My friends describe me as funny, approachable, loyal and caring, I know that makes me sound a bit like a pet dog but I guess they are right! Workmates would describe me as helpful, creative, caring and professional, so I am happy with that too!
Accreditation
NOCN Level 3 Certification in Civil Celebrancy, Member of the Fellowship of Independent Celebrants.
