Katy Astley

I hold the NOCN Level 3 Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy, and am available for funerals, memorial services, scattering of ashes ceremonies, funeral planning and related services.

I am based just north of Cambridge where I live with my family and my two dogs, and I work all over the East Anglia region.

Unlike weddings, funerals in the UK do not have to be either religious or secular. They can be completely personalised to reflect the belief system of the person being honoured, which can sometimes mean incorporating aspects of different religious or spiritual traditions from across their lives and their families' lives.

As a person of faith myself, with many years of experience of voluntary service in the Church of England, I am particularly well placed to support families who perhaps don’t want a fully religious service, or don’t feel comfortable holding a funeral in a place of worship, but are looking to incorporate faith-based elements in their service.

I am sometimes asked why I chose to train as a civil funeral celebrant, rather than explore training within the Church of England that would permit me to lead Christian funerals in my local church. The answer is very simple: because my motivation to work with the deceased and the bereaved comes from a belief that all human lives have equal value, there is no such thing as the 'right' way to do a funeral, and that I am well placed to serve families for whom a fully (or even partially) religious ceremony wouldn't feel appropriate.

If you are looking for a full-blown religious service (in a place of worship and led by a minister of religion) or a humanist service, I can signpost you to people who can provide these.

As a civil funeral celebrant, I offer everything in between religious ceremonies and humanist ceremonies.

Civil funerals usually take place in a crematorium or woodland burial ground.

The majority of civil funerals contain some religious content, even if that is 'just' the Lord's Prayer at the end. However, many civil funerals are wholly secular and contain no religious content.

If this feels right for you and your family, please get in touch.