Terri Negus – Founder & Director of The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants
Last weekend, I, along with several celebrant colleagues from the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants were privileged to exhibit at the 2022 National Funeral Exhibition (NFE).
Terri Negus along with other members of the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants at the 2022 National Funeral Exhibition.
The National Funeral Exhibition
For those who don’t know, the NFE is a Funeral trade show which takes place at Stoneleigh, near Coventry, every 2 years. Although we have, as an organisation, had a stand at the NFE for the last 4 shows, this year’s felt extra special – why? Well, firstly, because this show was actually due to take place in 2021, but like so many things got cancelled due to covid, so we waited three years for this show rather than for the usual two. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly because so many people in the funeral profession have been truly changed during the covid pandemic and were (and still are) the un-sung heroes.
Whilst the nation went out to very deservingly clap for the NHS, no one clapped for the Funeral Directors, The Funeral Operatives, The Ministers & Celebrants, the Crematorium Technicians, the Mortuary Staff, The Grave Diggers who gave their absolute all and then some throughout a global pandemic with little to no thanks or appreciation, and little to no guidelines from the Government. So many of us simply trying to do right for so many broken families who were naturally desperate to say goodbye to loved ones in a meaningful way, whilst trying to keep everyone safe and prevent the spread of a highly contagious virus which was killing 100’s every single day.
The NFE was the first time that the funeral profession had come together on a large scale to showcase the best of what this incredible industry has to offer, but also to collectively share the highs and lows of the past 2+ years.
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it has highlighted WHY we need to have the ritual of a funeral ceremony, to allow loved ones to say goodbye in a way which is fitting and meaningful for them. I strongly believe that we are yet to see the tsunami of longer term grief from those who were robbed of the opportunity to attend the funeral of someone they loved. Only when we are denied something do we all too often learn to appreciate its value.
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants
The NFE showcased a lot of options for truly personalising a funeral. The rise of the popularity of celebrants now mean that families can have a much more unique and personalised ceremony, and as someone who has pioneered Celebrancy in the U.K. for the past 20 years, I am passionate that every person who comes through our acclaimed training course fully understands every step of the funeral process, and not just ‘how’ to conduct a ceremony, but knows ‘why’ we need that ceremony and how our role in working with the bereaved helps with both their grieving and healing process.
The friendly face of celebrants, who work closely with bereaved families to ensure a ceremony is both a personalised and meaningful celebration of life
Artistic and Personalised Coffins
Surprisingly, the other advances which are helping to revolutionise the personalisation of funerals are digital printing. The National Funeral Exhibition was filled with an array of artistic and personally designed coffins, most of which are chipboard coffins ‘wrapped’ in digitally printed designs, many of which can be personally designed to a family’s wishes.
These type of coffins have been around for a few years now, but a first time exhibitor at the NFE were a company called Parley Green, an established family run cardboard and packaging company who have taken cardboard coffins to a new level. Adding large format digitally printed wrapping which truly looks like real wood, and the driftwood coffin with rope handles would be very befitting for any beach lover.
Cardboard coffins from www.parleygreen.co.uk
Funeral Stationery
Hard to believe that when I started working in the funeral profession 20 years ago, a lot of Order of Service sheets were still simply black and white photocopies, the majority with a simple black cross on the front. Printing anything with colour on a lithograph press, having to have film and plates developed, would have cost a small fortune. However, the digital printing era has made Order of Service sheets another highly personalised and popular addition to many funeral services, with families now able to choose either just one or multiple photos to include of their loved one, and perhaps be able to add an additional ‘theme’. These designs can then be extended across a range of other products, such as memorial bookmarks and memory boxes, to name a few.
Photos from www.gateway-publishing.co.uk
Whist many cremations now have large screens to show either a holding photo or slide show which add yet another layer of visual personalisation to a funeral ceremony, they are gone from sight once you leave the chapel, so I have to say that I loved the large photographic displays produced by www.memoryprints.co.uk which came in 3 different sizes and could therefore not only be displayed in a cremation but at a wake, a graveside or any other location and then kept as a cherished memory forever.
These are just a fraction of the products and services that were on offer that this years NFE, but it was a privilege to play just a small part in a large profession where every single person has just one final objective and that is to ensure that each and every bereaved family is able to pay tribute and say goodbye to their loved one in a way which is right for them.
Gone are the days of ‘cookie cutter funerals’ where one size fits all. Every life is unique and therefore every funeral should be equally unique to reflect that accordingly.
To find a trained and certified FPC celebrant in your area, please visit: www.professionalcelebrants.org.uk
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