Scripted by Heart
Humanist funeral celebrant · London & the South of England

Scripted
by Heart

Lines spoken from the heart — and words written from it.

A funeral is the last true story we tell about someone. I write and deliver that story with care, so the person you love is unmistakably there in every word.

Dan, humanist celebrant, at the lectern
About me

A working life built on words

I have spent over 25 years in the classroom teaching drama — a life focused on how words are written, shaped, and spoken so that a room truly feels them. A funeral asks for exactly that care.

I believe the spoken word, done well, can hold a grieving room together and let a single life be seen clearly. There is no template for a person, so every tribute I write begins with a blank page and your memories.

As a humanist celebrant, my ceremonies are non-religious and centred entirely on the life that was lived — built around your stories, your loved one, and what was true about them.

Dan
My story

How I came to be a celebrant

I became a celebrant after the loss of my grandfather in 2024. The care and support our celebrant gave my family inspired me to help others through their own journey of grief. Today, I am honoured to help families celebrate and remember their loved ones through thoughtful and personal ceremonies.

Creativity has always been at the heart of who I am. Outside of my work as a celebrant, I have a lifelong passion for theatre and the arts, and I enjoy writing poetry in my spare time. I am also a keen board gamer and miniature painter with an ever-growing collection, an enthusiastic cyclist and swimmer, and I love experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes and flavours. As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ and recovery community, I believe in creating a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone.

Dan out on his bike beside a reservoir
What I offer

Services

Funerals

A full bespoke ceremony, written from your memories and delivered in person — formal, informal, or somewhere of your own making.

I specialise in funerals for the LGBTQIA+ community, and in ceremonies for lives touched by addiction. I am also dementia friendly, and will give families and loved ones living with dementia the time they need.

Memorials & celebrations of life

A gathering to mark a life on your own timing, weeks or months on, when there is space to remember well.

Memorials after direct cremation

A direct cremation needn't deny the opportunity to say goodbye. We can still create the moment to gather, to speak, and to say their name aloud.

Dan leading a ceremony
Fees

What a ceremony costs

CeremonyFee
Cremation — standard servicefrom £300
Cremation — extended servicefrom £350
Burialfrom £325
Memorial or celebration of lifefrom £350
Interment of ashesfrom £200

Every enquiry begins with a conversation at no cost. If a fee is a worry, please still get in touch — we can talk it through.

How we'll work together

From a blank page to the day itself

1

First conversation

We talk, with no pressure and no cost, about the person and what you need from the day.

2

Gathering the story

I visit you in person, or we speak over video call and I listen. You share the memories, the details, the contradictions — the things that made them themselves.

3

Writing the tribute

I write a bespoke script — never a standard one. You read it, and we shape it together until it rings true.

4

The day itself

I deliver the ceremony with warmth and a steady hand, so you are free to simply be there with the people who matter. You will receive a presentation copy of the ceremony to remember, and share with loved ones who may have been absent on the day.

My pledge

I will reply to any message within a few hours, and I will never hand you words written for anyone else. Every line is written for one person only.

Words from the day

What people said

Sample responses written during training to show the kind of words a ceremony can leave behind.

A wonderful service, delivery was 10/10. Loved the sensitivity, balance and content.

Beautiful words, Dan. Really professional and human in your interactions with the family. Amazing ceremony with seamless delivery — well done.

A ceremony with loads of colour and a real sense of character. A well-structured ceremony, beautifully delivered.

Great storytelling that really captured our loved one, and a well-put-together ceremony.

Get in touch

Let's talk

Whenever you're ready — there is no cost and no obligation in a first conversation. Fill in as much or as little as feels right.

Email[email protected]

Telephone07909 394946

Area coveredLondon & the South of England — I travel across the region.