Contact: Eric Gill Funeral Celebrant
Member of the County Celebrants Network
01380 871784
Contact Details
Tel: 01380 871784
Mob: 07770 625378
Please call him for a chat
For anyone interested in Funeral Celebrant training with the County Celebrant Academy Ltd. please go to:
An Article about Eric in his Local Paper
Celebrants: Celebrating a life at the
time of death
Eric Gill is not a minister and up until
a few years ago had no involvement in the funeral business. But on
the suggestion of his wife Sandy he decided to look into becoming a
celebrant. It didn't take long for Eric
to realize he had found his calling
.
A funeral celebrant is an alternative to a
traditional funeral service, which incorporates the life and personality of the
deceased into it. Eric, who took a certification course in Worthing Sussex
in September 2009, works closely with the person's friends and family in order
to find out how they want to remember the departed.
He’ll incorporate poems and readings written by
family members and will play some of the person's favourite music. “It is more of a celebration of a person's
life," he said. "I just try to make it personal towards the
person."
Eric has done 125 services in
the two years since he's started. They've been held in Crematoriums, at Cemetery gravesides, in addition to a minister's service, and in woodlands.
Before a service, he always goes
to the grieving family or friend's home for a meeting to learn more about the
deceased and to plan it. he may see memorabilia, such as trophies or
photos, which may lead to information they forgot to mention.
He said many of his clients find the visits to be
what helps them most get through their loss. "Just talking about the person helps them
through," he said. Sometimes, with a big family sitting around the
table, one will tell a story about the person that some of the others didn't
know about.
Dianne Mackinder, of Dianne Mackinder Funeral
Directors in Marlborough, has worked with Eric on many funerals and said she's
seen more options open up for funerals with more eulogies and family
involvement. Though she said there's still quite a strong church
connection in the town, that's changing somewhat for newer generations.
"I think the consumer we're dealing with now
probably didn't have the connection with the church that previous generations
did," she said. "So they can relate more to the songs that
remind them of their mum, stories and things like that - So that's how they're
getting their comfort and going through their grief."
Many of the families that have used Eric's service have
said that time spent with him just talking before the service meant a
great deal to them, as did the follow-up calls afterwards.
Eric says ‘it is such a
fulfilling role, but being able to help families at such a sad time in their
lives is very rewarding to me’
