Jan Holden Celebrant

30/09/2024

On Saturday we lost a lovely man, Trevor Hickton from Hicktons Funerals. My heart goes out to his family....

13/12/2022

A lovely thank you for a recent service:

Dear Jan, I just wanted to thank you again for the most lovely service this morning.
All that attended commented on what a dignified service that was. June I know would have been honoured for you to conduct it.
THANK YOU!! from Christine

19/11/2022

I was able to help the Purcell family when their beloved father passed away:
Hi Jan I just wanted to thank you for organising my dad's service. You put it all together so well everyone thought it was so him. He was a real character and definitely his own person.
Much love to you, Kerry x

12/09/2022

Poem ~ I knew love…

I knew love when it still meant forever,
When a feeling shared didn’t always have to hurt,
And a promise that was made would go unbroken:
I knew love when it was more than just a word.
I knew a time when hope was all you needed
And if you cared you found a way to make things work.
When life was what two people shared together
Oh… I knew love - when it was more than just a word….

05/05/2022

05/05/2022

10/03/2022

The loss of a loved one hits us in many different ways, especially over the last few years with many not being able to give their loved ones the goodbye they would have hoped for.
I can provide you with a loving memorial service or a celebration the life of your loved one in a range of settings.
I am an experienced Celebrant with 12 years of looking after families, undertaking funeral services, weddings, baby naming and hand fastings.
Please call or message if you would like any information.

28/03/2017

Dear Jan, thank you again for the service. You were really supportive when we met and helped me through the difficult time and decisions. It felt natural talking to you and created a beautiful service for my uncle Tony. All family and friends were very happy with the service. Thank you Liam

28/03/2017

Dear Jan,

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to you for Tuesday’s service for my Dad.

Terry was not at all a religious man but we didn’t ever really discuss his funeral arrangements. I knew it would have not felt right to have a ‘traditional’ religious service but I wasn’t entirely sure what would have been appropriate instead. Thanks to your advice, suggestions, diligence and compassion, I really don’t think the funeral service could have been more perfect for him.

Thank you for the initial call, the subsequent conversations with me and my family, your early suggestions, your flexibility and your care and attention to detail on the day itself. At every stage I was well-informed, in control of decisions, and guided appropriately where necessary. I was never rushed into decisions – rather, given the time to come to my own conclusions. At what is clearly a difficult time, your approach was enormously supportive and reassuring.

You also gave me the opportunity to deliver the Eulogy, knowing that you could step in if I needed you to. I am so pleased that I took the opportunity to write and deliver it myself, so thank you also for giving me that opportunity and the confidence to do it.

Everyone who attended was very complimentary about the service too. It seemed much more personal, heartfelt and more of a celebration than a traditional funeral. Dignified too though. Just the right balance.

Thank you so much for all of your time and support, and for leading the service in the way that you did. You only have one attempt at getting a funeral service right for the deceased and for the bereaved.
You helped me to get it right for my Dad, and I will always be grateful.

With my very best wishes, and on behalf of all of my family,

David x

02/09/2016

Good Morning Jan

On behalf of ‘team Tighe’… We just wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for delivering just the perfect service for Dad... and for all of us too!

Is it possible to be sad and glad at the same time?

It’s the only way we can explain our sadness… though also how glad we were to be guided by your serene expertise. As we said earlier… we felt in safe hands from our first meeting Jan and you delivered with professional grace… which was just so fitting for our beloved Derrick James Tighe.

Thank you x

27/08/2016

Hi Jan

We'd like to thank you very much for a wonderful service for Carl.
Everyone said it was very fitting and it bought people to smile about him; so thank you thank you very much.

Amanda and family xx

Dear Jan

I just want to say a big thank you for conducting my fathers service today at Yardley Crem. It was a lovely service and Dad would have been proud; it was moving and above all it summed Dad's life up and the person he was. Once again a big thank you from all his family and friends.

Jillian

27/08/2016

From the Baye Family...

We first found Jan when looking for a celebrant to conduct our daughter’s naming ceremony in 2012. She was so helpful, walking us through the plan for the day and letting us personalise the ceremony in so many places. We were thrilled with the outcome and received so many compliments about it from friends and family! So it was natural for us to come back and ask Jan to do it all for us again for our son this year, and once again the day turned out perfectly. I would highly recommend Jan if you’re looking for a warm, friendly celebrant for your special occasion.

27/08/2016

Dear Jan

We just wanted to drop you a quick email to express how wonderful the service was for Mum, it was simply just beautiful. The way you delivered the service was so lovely and it really expressed how loved and wonderful Mum was, she would have really liked the service and would have been proud of everything herself.

The family and friends who were there to celebrate the life of Mum were so impressed with the service, the kindness and respect shown during this time and also the location.

The service notes which you left with us are just such a lovely way in which we can read and absorb the service once again, obviously it is such an emotional day and not all of the information is absorbed at the time. We have also been able to show this to some of the friends and family who were not able to come to the service and wake.

There were many tears but also much laughter and memories spoken about when everyone went to the Lyttelton Arms for the wake.

Thank you once again for your calm and kind words spoken through out this time. Maybe we will meet again, don't know where don't know when....

Kind regards

Harold, Dawn & Zoe x

08/08/2016

"We were introduced to Jan Holden through the untimely passing of our dad and the use of Stourbridge Co-operative Funeral Services. Being keen to use a celebrant who our dad would have approved of, whilst respecting his request for a Humanist funeral, we had been matched well to Jan’s services.
As the only next of kin, we were met with a daunting task of making all funeral arrangements whilst managing grief and all the practicalities that ensued. After our initial meeting with Jan, a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders as we had been given a path to follow, with help and guidance along the way from a true professional.
From the onset, we knew we had to create a funeral that was a celebration of our dad’s life, rather than a sombre, upsetting occasion. With Jan’s guidance and positive attitude, together we wrote a beautiful, heartfelt, non-religious service that any dad would have been proud of. The process of researching and writing about our dad’s life, albeit very upsetting, was cathartic to all involved and was a great help and comfort in a time of grief.
Once the final draft service had been agreed via a few emails, Jan assured us that all would be taken care of on the day of the funeral and not to worry. She gave us much assurance beforehand, of an experience that neither of us had dealt with so far in our lives.
Her positive, caring nature, warmth and empathy prevailed throughout, and on the day of the funeral Jan was an amazing presence to have had by our side. The service was read with passion, without fault and directed from beginning to end with a calming, sensitive authority.
It was a delight for all, to hear a rapturous applause at the end of our dad’s service and he would have been so proud of everyone involved and who were able to attend on this very special day.
After the service and during the wake, we had many comments from friends, family and past colleagues who were so pleased that our dad’s day was a true celebration of his life! A non-religious service with our chosen words, music and tributes, where everyone had the opportunity to celebrate, remember and appreciate the good man he was.
So, thank you Jan! Our dad’s day will never be forgotten and your unique contribution will always be remembered and highly recommended."
Chris and Jenny

07/08/2016

Dear Jan,
I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful service you gave Mom, you spoke all the words I wanted to say about my beloved mother but I'd not have been able to speak. You turned a very sad occasion into a wonderful memory of Mom everyone there thought it was an amazing tribute to her they were all very impressed. Many thanks and Best wishes Sue Harris

07/08/2016

Hi Jan

Just wanted to say a big big heart felt thank you from me and my family for everything you did during the planning of Nan's service. You are so good at your job and it really does mean a lot at times like this. I know you probably get alot of thank yous but I really can't put into words how thankful we are that we had you to speak at Nan's service. Everyone thought it was the nicest most fitting funeral we could have had for Nan.

Thankyou again
Lots of love
Sam ######x

07/08/2016

A flowery thank you from a lovely family...