Piers Lane - Funeral Celebrant

18/02/2025

“Piers was the perfect fit for our family and delivered my dad’s eulogy with the perfect mix of affection and humour. Starting the day with such sadness & anxiety our family and friends left the service with joy in our hearts and a few laughs throughout, something my dad would have loved. Piers managed to delivery exactly what my dad wanted laughter and NO TEARS. Would highly recommend”

15/02/2025

I had the privilege of taking a service at Skipton crematorium last week for a much-loved friend to many. The 65ish seats were quickly filled and so we enabled many more people to find places to stand and even eventually sit on the floor and even standing next to me at the front. Eventually there was well over a hundred gathered inside as well as those standing outside or joining us remotely via a weblink.
While there was of course sadness amongst us, the full room added to the sense of celebration of a life well-lived. The stories told and the poems read, as well as the photos and music played all added to the occasion.
I believe that enabling an atmosphere of warmth and welcome is an crucial part of my role as a celebrant, as funerals are times when people need to be helped to be as calm as possible - not least so that everyone can truly feel what is within them - sadness, gratitude, inspiration and… even joy.

14/02/2025

A Funeral Director told me today that families have sometimes asked him to book "the man who works at the crematorium" to take the service for them - BUT...
..there are no celebrants who work at the crem - we're all independent., SO...

please remember that should you want me (or another celebrant) to take a loved one's service - ask for me (or them) by name.

You can also plan for your your own service when the time comes, by writing my name down in your funeral plan along with your other wishes - music etc.

PLAN AHEAD AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOUR FAMILY.

14/02/2025

Really kind words from a family I was able to help this week.

"Piers has recently held the service for my dad who suddenly passed away and did an amazing job, which has also been complimented by all who attended. He has a great way with words and has a very kind and thoughtful nature. The eulogy piers created for my dad was so wonderful and it felt very special and personal as if he had known him himself. We as a family would highly recommend piers to anybody and a few Even Commented on how they’d like piers to speak at their funeral as he did such a great job and helped play a key part in making my dads service so special and comforting. Thankyou again piers you really did do an incredible service."
Many thanks and kind regards
Tracey, Suzannah & Joe fox and family

06/01/2025

"Piers conducted the service for my father a few years ago and recently my mother. Piers somehow made the whole experience so much easier. He was thoughtful, caring, helpful and extremely professional. Piers sat with us to run through our memories of my mother and then transformed this into a fantastic eulogy, which he read. So many people commented how great he was at the service. I would highly recommend Piers to help at your time of need and if you, like me, feel unable to speak at the time Piers is the perfect person to do so."

24/12/2024

To all those I have had the privilege of supporting this year, as well as all my wonderful colleagues…

20/12/2024

"...We were incredibly fortunate to have the funeral home invite Piers to be the Celebrant for my mother’s (Julie) funeral service.
My father, two sisters & I felt so comfortable with him when he visited us to talk about our wishes for the service, & he took time & interest in understanding her as a wife to my father, & as a mother to her daughters. He just seemed to ‘get us’ & our family dynamics.
His communication was excellent, & was happy to keep updating the Eulogy when we were amending it & extending it, even up to the day before the service.
I’m sure it’s a very hard balancing act, when leading a service, of getting the tone right to suit the circumstances of the person’s passing. Well, Piers could not have been more intuitive in understanding our grief of her death, but also acknowledging the incredible life that she had led over 87 years, & all the wonderful memories with family & friends - & it was heart warming to have some giggles & laughter throughout the service.
He had such respect for all of us that were there at the Chapel, & most importantly, for Julie.
Thank you so much Piers."

So glad to be of service at times like this - and touched by this lovely review.

30/09/2024

Lovely to have been receiving Google reviews recently. Here's the latest:

"Piers was amazing and gave my dad the best send off. I was worried about the eulogy, but after asking us questions about our dad, Piers put together a wonderful tribute almost like he had known him. As well as being professional, Piers was warm and caring in all the preparation. On the day his delivery was flawless, we were so happy with the service and lots of people at the funeral mentioned how well Piers came across. If you are in need of a celebrant, then I can highly recommend Piers."

06/08/2024

As a Funeral Celebrant, I come into contact with people daily who are dealing with loss. Often there are complicated emotions felt at such times, and so I'm glad to be able to let people know of the work my wife, Gill, does as a trained counsellor. Based in Silsden, she brings empathy and understanding alongside excellent listening skills, enabling people to find their way through some of the darkest times of life. If you'd like to know more, here's a link to her website: www.gilltinklintherapy.co.uk

You can also look her up on the Counselling Directory at https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/gillian-tinklin

Counselling in Silsden near Keighley, Ilkley and Skipton with registered counsellor Gill Tinklin. Online sessions are also available.

05/08/2024

"We were so fortunate to have Piers as celebrant at my sister’s funeral. The eulogy he delivered was personal, sensitive and full of warmth. He was also reassuring to the others speaking at the funeral who were not so confident in speaking at such an emotional occasion. Everyone we spoke to after the funeral commented at how lovely the service was. Thank you, Piers."

17/06/2024

Shared with permission:
"Dear Piers...thank you for the support and kindness you showed me and all our family. Although I very much wanted to hold an event celebrating Paul’s life, I was also terribly worried about the whole thing. I did not need to be, you made it a joyful and positive event, which allowed his friends, old and new, to connect and discover different aspects of the man so many people enjoyed , loved and admired.
You hold a very special place in our family’s hearts… I do not have the words to thank you enough for the way you turned something difficult and frightening into a source of great comfort and joy".

03/06/2024

Don’t waste a moment. Rob Burrows final message.

The message to be used only after his death was recorded for a new BBC documentary.

10/04/2024

I love this poem by Don Paterson:

Today we friends and strangers meet
because our friend is now complete.
She has left time. Perhaps we feel
we are the ghosts and her the real -
so fixed and constant does she seem,
so starlike. May the human dream
arise again to find her woken
at its heart, though to be spoken
once is as miraculous
as a thousand times. What utters us,
blind nature, told the trees and birds
and bright stars; yet of all the words
we knew, her name was the most dear.
We give thanks she was spoken here.

20/03/2024

"I would like to say thank you for making _____’s funeral service a very memorable occasion. My family all said how wonderful the service was, and everyone attending said the same. This was down to you as Celebrant, making it a warm and friendly service".

As always, such a rewarding role for me, and pleased to share such comments so that other families can feel confident to put their trust in me to help them say farewell.

08/03/2024

Nice to finish a busy week with a message like this:

"...thank you so very much for officiating at [name]'s funeral yesterday. Your eulogy was just perfect as indeed was the whole service -a very fitting tribute. We have received so many favourable comments. Thank you also for your help and assistance in putting the Order of Service together and generally making things run so smoothly".

14/02/2024

For those of you who know me through my work as a funeral Celebrant, you might be interested to see another side of me – as an actor! I’m in a play this week called “Things I Know to be True” at Ilkley Playhouse. If you’d like to come, there are still tickets available: https://ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk/IlkleyPlayhouse.dll/WhatsOn?Film=1635492

26/01/2024

A poem is often used at funeral services, and finding the right one is something I often help with in my role as a celebrant. Often, I write my own poems, but last week I took a service for a member of the farming community and used the following poem which I had come across. It seemed appropriate and was very much appreciated by the family. If anyone knows the author, please let me know.

The Farmer’s Day
When the day is done for others, the farmer's day goes on,
There’re beasts to feed, and ewes to lamb and much more to be done.
Tomorrow will bring with it graft for a week for most,
No time off, no holidays, no day trips to the coast.
The rain will fall, the wind will blow, the fells can be so cold,
And weathered faces show the years before they should be old.
There are perks of course, honest rewards, lots to be thankful for,
To wake each day with work to do and always know there’s more.
To sow the soil, to gather a crop, to complete the task in hand,
To raise a flock, to keep them safe, to be one with the land.
On market days, there’re tups and lambs and friendly banter too,
Catching up with folk you know, friends to see you through.
And when life slows down and age creeps in and gradually makes you rest,
You can lean on the fence and take your time, knowing you did your best.
And when life itself draws to an end and all the work is done,
You’re held in the hearts of those you loved, and so the farmer’s day goes on.

For more poems, see

Looking for a reading or poem for a funeral? Here's a selection, including some of Piers Lane's own work.

23/01/2024

It is always good to remember that a funeral service can (and should be) a personal occasion - a telling of a loved one's story, a celebration of their best chapters of life...

"Hi Piers,

Thank you very much for your help, solicitude, kind words &, most of all, for leading and celebrating the service for ________. It was very well done - Thank You. I am most grateful. Several people who attended said how nice and personal the service was."