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.
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 became a celebrant because 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.
Services
Funerals
A full bespoke ceremony, written from your memories and delivered in person — formal, informal, or somewhere of your own making.
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.
What a ceremony costs
| Ceremony | Fee |
|---|---|
| Cremation — standard service | from £280 |
| Cremation — extended service | from £350 |
| Burial | from £325 |
| Memorial or celebration of life | from £350 |
| Interment of ashes | from £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.
From a blank page to the day itself
First conversation
We talk, with no pressure and no cost, about the person and what you need from the day.
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.
Writing the tribute
I write a bespoke script — never a standard one. You read it, and we shape it together until it rings true.
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.
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.
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.
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.