Photo by Martin J Palmer
Welcome!
I am Toby, an independent funeral celebrant in Hastings (UK); I have taken 250 funeral services since 2017. If you are looking for someone to write or deliver a funeral for someone you love, please explore these pages about my work and about me further.
It is an incredible honour to celebrate funerals – both because of my role at this most pivotal point in the story of the one departed, and also because of the enormous trust which grieving relatives and friends have shown. They have shared with me their tears and treasured memories. Celebrating funerals is also a joy. This is hard to explain, but I think has to do with the beauty of a life when what is temporal is dissolving – as when clouds part at the end of a stormy day to reveal a glorious sunset.
You can also read my evolving blog. It is going to explore everything connected with funerals and the mystery of death. I shall sometimes approach difficult subjects, and I hope to do so in a way which teases out the meaning and beauty of life’s sunset. It is also – just a bit – about me, Toby the person. As well as my work, I want to write about the things I love: walking, beer; perhaps even music, depth psychology, and the majesty of railways… who knows? Perhaps these two broad themes will overlap more than expected…
Recent Blog Posts
- Spring Is Holding Autumn’s Hand Behind Winter’s Back
Early January seems a dead time of year, but in truth, autumn still lingers and spring is already budding. The seasons of our life work together too. - Homecoming
Coming home to all that I love and letting go all that I’m not seems to be a metaphor for a homecoming and letting go at the end of my life.