Hugh Milsom

Funerals can provide an opportunity to publicly express the different feelings and emotions that well up when a loved one dies; it may well recognise the grief of the family’s loss, maybe his or her understanding of the meaning of life and death but more importantly may provide an opportunity to tell the loved one’s story and show the love that still remains.

Funeral practices in the UK have undergone remarkable changes in the last few years; there has been a clear shift away from the impersonal, standardised and religiously led funeral services of the past. This positive move is away from what the Church dictates as more and more of the population have very little – if anything – to do with organised religion. Most people now are not affiliated to a particular religion. They are unaffiliated, but they still have their own beliefs and their own outlook on life. Modern funerals allows the grieving family a wider range of options that were unheard of 10 years ago.

Most aspects of today’s funeral ceremony come down to personal choice; families may well take an active role in choosing the music and readings and may wish to speak about the person who has died. The primary task of the funeral professional today is to assist families in creating a funeral that fully reflects the person’s nature and personality.

In the unaffiliated service – that is a non-church service – the main focus is primarily on the life, beliefs, values and character of the person who has died. The family and friends can participate in any aspect of the preparation and holding of the ceremony should they wish to. In fact participation is encouraged.

Perhaps several people will talk about them, or there may be open spontaneous sharing. Personal objects and photographs may be present, the music and readings carefully chosen as favourites or to reflect the life and beliefs of the person who has died.

The ceremony is often held in a Crematorium but remains equally valid in a community hall or perhaps even the family home – the room decorated in a particular, personal style perhaps. It’s a choice the family can make.

Hugh meets with the family – often in their own home; here he takes the time to listen to the family and friends in order to get a true sense of the person who has been lost and make sure that he or she rightfully takes centre stage for the last time. He composes a beautiful, individual ceremony that will be both the celebration of a distinctive life and the tender mourning of a loss.

Hugh will help the family to find readings and music and other personal touches that make the funeral special.
Together he and the family will create a moving, memorable service that truly reflects the beliefs of the deceased and their family member. Under his gentle guidance Hugh’s funeral will successfully mark a significant event – the end of a unique life, the loss of a loved person, the crossing of a threshold. This singular event will be created with care, will weave together the colourful strands of a life, express the true nature of the person and give voice to the loss felt by the community and all those who loved the one who has died.

Many people now are looking for a more personal funeral experience yet still value and appreciate a sense of sacred ritual to mark the end of a life and possibly the transition of spirit – a funeral with heart and soul based on the person’s culture and lifestyle. It is important that each funeral is both a celebration of a life and the mourning of a loss, and contains a sense of the sacred and ritual. Hugh is an ideal choice to conduct your loved one’s funeral.