I describe myself as a celebrant for rites of passage and culture change. Alongside the ceremonial punctuation I provide for birth, marriage and death, I also support individuals and organisations in marking turning points in their own evolution.
My first wedding and my first funeral both took place in 2012, when friends asked me to serve as a minister — something I took as a very great honour. Since adolescence I've performed many roles as a public speaker, because I'm able to find the right words when they count. In the years that followed I conducted further funerals, weddings and ceremonial roles, and later qualified through the International College of Professional Celebrants.
What I bring that's a little unusual is a particular talent for speaking spontaneously from the heart, and for conducting ceremonies unscripted. This carries a far greater sense of gravitas and presence than reading from a page ever can. I use it to construct events that feel personal and profound, disrupting the spectator mindset so that everyone present takes part — a genuine, shared ceremony rather than something people simply watch.
A safe pair of hands — I've hosted countless events from weddings and funerals to festivals and concerts, facilitating workshops and ceremonial settings for rites of passage of every kind. Early in life my natural talent for public speaking was recognised with awards, and it set me on a path ever since.
As a father of four, I've experienced plenty of the trials and challenges, joys and pleasures of family life. Working alongside many other children as well as my own, I've seen first-hand the power of family support, especially through life's more difficult chapters. I've come to learn that ritual offers the punctuation of life that helps to turn the page.
For years I've studied communication, and I've been trusted to work as a mediator for couples as well as offering counsel to individual clients. I'm also a published author, with my book available on Amazon
I live on the seafront in St Leonards, and offer ceremonies across Sussex and around the country, both in person and online. I love the sun and the sea, swimming or skimming through the surf, chasing frisbees at low tide — the seafront is as much a part of my life as the ceremonies I hold.
