Piers Lane - Funeral Celebrant

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."

17/01/2024

It was lovely to receive these words today… shared here with permission:

“Hi Piers,

We just wanted to let you know how much we appreciated your celebration of Mum. Thank you so much for giving us a very special, moving service for Rosemarie. It was all perfect, and exactly the way I hoped it would be.

The words, poems and music - we all felt you delivered it so beautifully, and with great empathy. It was so personal and intimate for us all, her immediate family. You brought us all together and brought our memories of Mum to life, in an informal and caring way, and adding little asides (my grandad claiming to be a welder) which made it even more lovely.

Thank you from all of us for making it special and unique. Mum was a much loved, special lady, and you helped us to have a wonderful service to celebrate her long life. Thank you again from all of us.”

Jayne & Nigel Brown, and family

16/01/2024

Recently, I was asked to lead a funeral service for the partner of a fellow celebrant in West Yorkshire. Paula kindly wrote the following testimonial for me, and with her permission I am sharing it now. As always it is a privilege to help people say farewell to loved ones.

"Hi Piers,
I just wanted to say thank you again for the lovely ceremony you led for Anthony on the 8th of January. We received so many compliments from the guests at the refreshments after the ceremony who were so impressed with the way you spoke. There was humour, an acknowledgement of Anthony's individuality and a recognition of the impact he made on everyone present. Your delivery was perfect, the words you said at the beginning were heartfelt and sincere. You made a very difficult situation much easier for us to cope with and left us with some wonderful memories to take away and remember.

Many thanks
Paula"

09/01/2024

"Dear Piers,
Many thanks for your brilliant direction of the service today.
Many people came up to me afterwards and said how lucky we were to have you, and I agreed. They praised your tone, demeanour and the fact that you pitched everything just right.
So thanks again."

As always, I'm so pleased that a group of family members and friends have been enabled to say farewell in a way they wanted. Such a privilege to facilitate such an occasion.

04/01/2024

I had the pleasure of meeting these lovely people recently. If you've got a need for beautiful therapeutic singing and music - book 'em!

📢Spring 2024 dates now available to book.
➡️Email [email protected] to book a visit from the Bring Me Sunshine Trio to your venue. We can visit on Thursday afternoons and some Sunday afternoons.

04/01/2024

"Hi Piers. Our paths have crossed very briefly recently and we are delighted they did, as you were the right man for the job of gently leading us all through the difficult task of organising the right sort of funeral for _______. We all appreciated your relaxed manner in the planning stage and we were wise to take your advice on public speaking. We practised our reading and breathing for days and it paid off!"

It's always a privilege to support a family, and such comments are always good to receive. Helping a family make a service their own, and supporting them as they take part is a really rewarding part of my work.

18/12/2023

"I can't thank you enough for the great sensitivity with which you conducted yesterday afternoon's funeral service for my mother..."

Once again, pleased to be of service to a family who wanted to say farewell in their own way, and celebrate a unique life in a personal way.

05/12/2023

After being unable to visit a bereaved family in the moors yesterday due to snow we finally sat down together in Morrisons cafe in Skipton in the late afternoon. Over a pot of tea we put together the shape of what will be a weaving together of memories and music, a telling of stories, a celebration of a life well-lived.
Today, I’m out and about in Leeds for family visits and a couple of services. I don’t think there’ll be any snow, but pretty sure my umbrella will be making an appearance.

04/12/2023

I was out visiting in the Yorkshire Dales this morning. It’s not often I don’t make it to visit a family at home, but my Toyota Aygo wasn’t able to make it up the last part of this hill. I made it from here to about as far as you can see until, slithering about, I reversed back down, turned round and headed home. We’ve now arranged a different place to meet later this afternoon. But what a beautiful morning to be out in such breathtaking surroundings.

03/12/2023

Yesterday I spoke at a Memorial Service organised by Melia Powell Funeral Services at Keighley Shared Church. It was a privilege to be asked, and I enjoyed taking part in a quiet, compassionate service led by the vicar, Rev Canon Mike Cansdale. The music was a real highlight, being led by the hugely talented Wharfe Quartet - an Ilkley based group. The Carols, Christmas songs and classical pieces sounded great in the acoustics of the church. Families who came along were invited to light candles and hang a star on a tree of remembrance. Afterwards I had a few good chats with people, talking about who they were remembering, as well as singing a few choruses of Thank You for the Music and Sweet Child of Mine with one gentleman. Perhaps my favourite part of the occasion, simply for the sense of connection. Well done Zoe, Rachel and Emma of Melia Powell Funeral Services for all you did to organise such a special occasion.

02/12/2023

Such lovely music today at the Keighley Memorial service from the Wharfe Quartet!

30/11/2023

Delighted to be asked to speak at this Christmas memorial service. If anyone would to come along you’ll be so welcome. I’d love to catch up with some of the families I’ve supported this year. And there’s mince pies and Baileys!

29/11/2023

Enjoyed visiting the lovely Brocklands Woodland Burial Ground in the Yorkshire Dales today. After a gathering in the Haybarn we made our way to the grave - using a 1907 funeral handcart for the final part of the journey. The sun shone in a cold sky as we stood above the Settle to Carlisle train line and looked towards Pen-y-Ghent.

28/11/2023

Tomorrow I’m taking the third of three burials this week - this time up at Brocklands Woodland Burial Site in the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales. With a clear, cold day forecast there will be some amazing views of Pen-y-Ghent and the surrounding hills to enjoy.

28/11/2023

It was good to talk to Nihal Arthanyake on BBC Radio 5 Live today about my work as a Celebrant. I even read one of my poems. You can listen here - start at 2:06 on the timeline.

Nihal Arthanayake chats Maddie Moate, Andrew Motion and Ed Caesar.

23/11/2023

"Hi piers just wanted to say a big thankyou for the service you did for [name] ...everybody said it was lovely. Thankyou for your kindness and compassion you showed us. You made the day very special for us."

15/11/2023

“Hi Piers
Many thanks for conducting the funeral service yesterday - you did a superb job & came in for much deserved praise for the way in which you handled matters. The eulogy was spot on”.

25/10/2023

Dear Piers, thank you for the superb job you did at the service. It was spot on & just what we wanted. There were many people who said it was the best funeral they had ever been to which is a wonderful accolade to your contribution".

24/10/2023

A wet day at Skipton Crematorium. In a minute I have to get out of the car… ☔️

09/10/2023

Really good to support Melia Powell Funeral Services last week at their MacMillan Coffee Morning. Glad to be part of the Keighley community, and always enjoy supporting families in the area.