Funerals

Funerals – A Celebration of Life
Crafted and Conducted by A Qualified Experienced Funeral Celebrant in Leicestershire

How to find Your professional qualified funeral celebrant in Leicestershire (also covers Northants, Warwickshire, Birmingham).

First of all, if you are visiting my web site because you’ve been recently bereaved, may I offer my sincere condolences. This is possibly one of the most difficult times for you right now. Please be assured, as your qualified, professional funeral celebrant covering Leicestershire, Northants, Warwickshire and the surrounding counties , I am here to help you all during this very sad and difficult time.

It’s never a good time to discuss death or dying.  It is often hard to even think about the funeral and how best to reflect the life of the person who has died.

Choosing me as your professional qualified funeral celebrant in Leicester and Leicestershire assures you of total integrity, dignity and professionally conducted services that are fitting and celebrate the life of your deceased loved one.

Crematoria I frequently work from: Great Glen Crematorium, South Leicestershire Crematorium , Gilroes Crematorium,  Kettering Warren Hill Crematorium , Heart of England Crematorium Nuneation, Rainsbrook Rugby Crematorium, Loughborough Crematorium.

Your professional qualified Funeral Celebrant serving Leicester, Leicestershire and surrounding Midlands Counties and Birmingham

As your qualified professional funeral celebrant in Leicester and Leicestershire, my role is to help you to create the ultimate life celebration ceremony for your loved one during this especially difficult time. Together we will make the right choices for you and your loved one. Working with you and your Funeral Director I can design and deliver a fitting, personal and meaningful ceremony which captures the essence of your loved one.
As a qualified professional funeral celebrant in Leicester and Leicestershire my role is to ensure you have the perfect ceremony to celebrate the life you your loved one that reflects their personality, quirks and recalls those happy memories you shared together.

Finding the Right Words

Finding the perfect words is a big part of creating the very best ceremony. We can find those perfect words.

I can put them together for you. Alternatively you can write your own words of tribute.
I will listen carefully to your requirements and can help you choose music, readings or poems. You will receive my full support throughout. Together we will acknowledge the sadness of the day while we celebrate and give thanks to the life of your loved one.

 What makes a good funeral service?

A good funeral service should be as unique as the life lived. Each service created is carefully crafted making it individually written for you.
Your bespoke ceremony will meet your needs and will reflect the wishes, beliefs, cultural background and values – religious or non-religious – of your loved one and your family. It can be as spiritual or simple as you would like.

We will plan your ceremony with careful attention to detail and then deliver it in a meaningful way. You have complete choice of and final approval over the ceremony which will be created with you, for you.

The life celebration ceremony will be a precious gift to the person who has died allowing them to leave this world with dignity and love.

For fees click here

Themed Celebratory Funerals

I  have, more recently, been host and presenter at some more unusual themed life celebrations. From Star Wars, to Football Fans, and several times now I have hosted Carnival and Reggae themed West Indian Life Celebrations.
Each of these events have celebrated the life of the person, who expressed their wishes for a different way of celebrating their lives after they have died.

My aim is to inject the happy moments of the person’s life into the ceremony, whilst still keeping the whole event dignified and meaningful.

What Clients Have Said about my ceremonies – Testimonials

“Thank you so much for the ceremony, you touched so many people. Everything was just perfect”
“I just want to say a massive thank you for your help and assistance with M’s funeral service.

Everything went very well and everyone commented on how lovely it all was.”

Hi Jacqui, We all would like to say a huge thank you for the lovely words you said about our father, you summed him up a treat.

Everyone that we spoke to said it was just perfect, and I know he would have loved it too. The whole thing was upbeat, with some funny moments and loving/caring.

the wake was also perfect we couldn’t have sent him on his way any better.

We raised a total of £600.00 for the local Hospital.

Once again a huge thank you -Sandra, Debbie and Ian

” We really did her proud, she would’ve really loved the service.
You made a very difficult day far more bearable”
Valerie and Hilary

“Dear Jacqui thank you from all the family for leading the ceremony for our Dad. We were very pleased the event went even better than we could have hoped. We all gave him the best send off.” Jonathan A 

” Dear Jacqui Thank you very much for leading the funeral for David today. You did an excellent job which I and my colleagues hugely appreciated. Thanks Again Tom C”

“I just wanted to thank you so much for mum’s beautiful service, my brothers & I and the whole family thought you did a wonderful job I know Friday was lovely & sunny for mum,

” Thank you so much for Mum’s ceremony, she would have been so proud “- Shelly

” We wanted to tell you Dad’s ceremony was just perfect, thank you so much from Jo XX”

“I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of my brothers and I to thank you for capturing the essence of my dad’s life in such a lovely way, it certainly brought tears to our eyes” Karen

“Wow, I am so blown away!! You have taken my breath away and what you have written would have made Nan proud, I can’t thank you enough” Martine

“We would like to say a big thank you for the help and service you provided to us for the passing of our Mum. The way you spoke brought great comfort at such a difficult time.

The whole thing came together really well and we are very pleased we have been able to bid Mum farewell in such a lovely way. We have had a lot of comments of how nice the service was from those that were there and those that watched online. We will be more than happy to recommend your services to anyone who asked.”
Mark and Sharon

” thank you so much Jacqui everyone said that the service and music were so lovely”
Mandy

“Dear Jacqui,
We would like to take the opportunity to thank you very much for conducting the service for our mother, on Friday 20th November. From the first meeting with you to plan the ceremony the week beforehand, we felt very happy. Thank you for listening to all that we said and making the eulogy special. You caught the spirit of mam and her life very well.
Is it possible to enjoy a celebration of life ceremony? Obviously, we are sad that mam has passed away and we will miss her. Many tears were shed, but on Friday we felt that the whole ceremony, with words and music, was a fitting farewell for mam, which we enjoyed. As you know, we were not able to come to England, and we appreciated very much having the live webcast link. In fact, our sons and families also watched and were moved by the service.
We wish you all the best for your work!
Thanks again,
Kind regards and greetings, from Vienna,
Jean & Wilfried “

 “Just wanted to say thank you for yesterday’s lovely service for my Mum.
It was all that we hoped it would be.
Kind Regards Sarah”

 “Jacqui just to say thank you so much for a lovely ceremony for my aunt”
Chippo

“Jacqui thank you so much for doing my Mum’s funeral, you were great, She would have liked you a lot!” – Kieron E

 “Dear Jacqui, Thank you for a super service yesterday.
It is a bit strange with the seats so far apart but on the contrary, it did make it look like the room was full.
All in all, we had a nice day and a good send-off for Dad, so thanks once again
Best regards Rob
Ps I hope you weren’t too traumatised by our singing!

Dear Jacqui
I just wanted to say it was lovely to meet you yesterday. It was a beautiful ceremony and you remembered our Dad really well.
Lovely words and tributes. Couldn’t fault anything yesterday.
We shall take your kind words to help us along now.
Thank you again. Kind regards.
Ruth and Rebecca

“I wanted to thank you for Dad’s service on Monday and all you did to make it a fitting tribute for him.
Your introduction was comforting and the whole service very respectful.. I hadn’t been to a non religious service before, but it was very moving and the Magnificent Seven made us all smile at the end.
Thank you once again for all your help and kindness in preparing and delivering Dad’s service and making us feel cared for.”
Kind Regards Jenny

” Just to say a massive thank you for Mum’s service yesterday. It was beautifully delivered. My family were so pleased with how it all went. I am sure my Mum would have been proud. Stay Safe Rich”

Hi Jacqui,Thank you for all the help and advice for the preparation of my wife’s funeral. The service was a wonderful tribute to a lovely lady. Again many thanks from myself and all my family Regards Roger”

“You were the perfect celebrant for us, you did us and Dad proud last week thank you Jacqui” – Sue B

“Jacqui Tillyard is the best celebrant of life that I’ve ever seen. Sadly within six months I lost both my mother and my sister and Jacqui was our Celebrant for both of their funerals.Our celebrations were out of the norm as my family are party people and jacqui was able to accommodate that and have a true understanding of their nature.
Jacqui had the further challenge of having to learn certain words phonetically, as my family originates from Jamaica, so not only did she have to master a West Indian accent, she also had to familiarise herself to certain dance moves that were necessary throughout the ceremonies – which she did to great avail.I would recommend Jacqui Tillyard for any celebration but especially if you are of West Indian descent as she’s got most of the moves and language locked down “

“Hi Jacqui
I just wanted to thank you so much for yesterday and the way you conducted the ceremony. It felt for me that you captured my dad so well and it felt upbeat despite the sadness of the day. So many people said the same thing to me afterwards. Im sorry as I had a bit of a last minute panic about my words and changed it around slightly as I was worried I hadn’t covered a couple of things properly and I forgot to tell you. The last few days building up to the funeral were really hard for me but when it came to the day I did manage to get through it ok, it was a lovely group of people who were there to celebrate dads life with us and from different times. Thank you again for doing it all so well, it made a hard day a brighter one
Kind regards Jane P”

“Thanks Jacqui Tillyard for the service you delivered for my Dad’s funeral on Friday. Lovely words which softened the goodbye. ♥️” Joanne

“Hi Jacqui
We want to extend our sincere thanks for the lovely service you delivered for Graham’s farewell yesterday. Everyone commented on this at the Wake. Also thank you for the poignant words expressed in your card to us. Thank you for wearing ‘Chelsea blue’, it made it more personal!

Our kindest regards, and thank you again. Angela and Bob”

“We’d like to extend our thanks for everything yesterday at Mum’s service. It was exactly what we wanted and very respectful,  beautiful and moving. We’d be very happy to recommend your services too if ever the need arises that someone wants a personal recommendation. Thanks again. Gill xHi Jacqui.

I just wanted to say on behalf of Dad, Tony, myself and everyone a huge thank you for today. You made it perfect (again).

A very sad day but we all said later at the wake that you made us all feel differently and smile when we think of mum rather than feel sad.

You are in the perfect job for you and I’m sure you do and will ease so many people’s grief.

Thanks for not only doing your job but caring so much. Can’t thank you enough xx Rachel

“Dear Jacqui

Thank you so, so much for the really lovely service yesterday and making it so memorable for all. We couldn’t have wished for better. Also the presentation script and card given to Jan was very much appreciated. Really nice touch. All the very best to you. Kind regards. Jan & John K and family. Xx”

“Hi Jacqui , Just dropping

you a line to say a big thank you for putting together and delivering such a wonderful send off for dad.   Best wishes  Paul, Craig and Sheila x”

“Thank you so much Jacqui.

Everyone said what a lovely service you’d given and how hard you must have worked to make it as true to my cousin as possible. You made a very sad moment very uplifting and lovely.

We can’t thank you enough. Forever grateful.

Rachel and all the family and friends of S*** Xxx”

“Hi Jacqui,  Just a quick note to say thanks for your management of B’s funeral on Tuesday. The Eulogy, in both content and delivery, was excellent.  I’ve had nothing but praise for the whole service.  I think we did her proud. Thanks again   Tony.”

Hi Jacqui,Thank you for your beautiful words and service you conducted yesterday at Mum’s funeral! It was perfect and your reading of mum’s words were lovely! Thank you!! It was all as I had visioned it to be! I was amazed and humbled by all the love that was felt in that room! We had so many wonderful comments from friends and family at how beautiful the service was!! Love Claire

“Hello Jacqui,  Thank you again for the wonderful service for our dad. So many people commented and our mum was especially pleased. We did him proud.
 Kindest regards Ian & Dawn

What you can expect from hiring me as your end of life celebration celebrant

As a Qualified professional funeral celebrant in Leicester and Leicestershire, here are some ways I can help you and your family.

• As Your Funeral Celebrant my services to you include:-
• A meeting at your home, or wherever you prefer. We’ll discuss what kind of ceremony would best suit the person who has passed away. I like to get a real sense of your loved one, so that we
  

  can capture their special character for the ceremony.
  

• We’ll talk about their life, considering family members or friends who would like to participate. If you would like, we can include children in your ceremony, as they often provide the most colourful, and vivid memories which can make the ceremony really special. My aim is to provide you with a heartfelt, uplifting tribute to reflect the core essence of your loved one.
• We look at including any special music to be played on entering, during and at the end of the ceremony
• Choosing any favourite poems or readings
  
•  Including any ceremony participation from family members

  For Fees click here

We can also add in:

• Any optional spiritual or religious content e.g. The Lord’s Prayer or a favourite hymn if you want to include that.
  
• Your favourite memories or interesting stories, along with your loved one’s life story
• Preparing the Ceremony content including writing the tribute for you. If required help can be given to family and friends so they can share their special memories and tributes too.
• Your Funeral Arranger/Director and I will work closely together, with members of staff at the crematorium or burial ground. Your ceremony will be delivered with your personal wishes in mind.
• On the day of the ceremony, I will be there with you, to support, help and conduct the ceremony.
• After the completion of the service you receive your copy of the ceremony script.

Memorials and Ashes Internment~

I also offer personalised ceremonies for ashes internment or memorial services so that you can create the right occasion to say a final farewell to your loved one.

These can be a brief version of your funeral service or a completely new ceremony to remember the loved one that has died. If you are arranging this for yourself, please contact me to discuss your specific requirements. You can also enquire via your chosen funeral director and request me by name.

Why Hire Me?

Every family deserves excellent care, heartfelt ears to hear their stories and a ceremony that supports them and properly represents their loved one.
Every deceased person deserves a dignified, fitting and honourable ceremony.
Each funeral director I work with gets a smart, professional, focused and dependable Celebrant with a great reputation with local families.
I aim to provide all of this to you

I will craft personalised ceremonies for each individual family. No two ceremonies are ever the same. Each ceremony is written from scratch.

I visit you, call you and write the ceremony to meet and carry out your wishes

I will create any of the following according to the you (the family’s) wishes:

• Part Religious
• Non Religious
• Spiritual
• Natural Based
• Creative Committal Words crafted around the person’s life

It’s not about me, it’s about you!

I will always ask what dress code/colour you wish me to respect on the day

Each family is sent a full script to check prior to the ceremony

After the ceremony, I will give each client a Presentation Folder which contains

• Presentation script of the ceremony
• Condolence card with a personal message
• My business card for future contact

Where I work

My services are available to clients across the Leicestershire and wider surrounding Midlands counties.  I am based very close to and frequently work from: Great Glen Crematorium, South Leicestershire Crematorium , Gilroes Crematorium,  Kettering Warren Hill Crematorium , Heart of England Crematorium Nuneation, Rainsbrook Rugby Crematorium, Loughborough Crematorium.
I’m not far from The Willows Natural burial ground and Scraptoft too. If you are looking for a local celebrant to Leicestershire, Northants, Warkwickshire, I can usually help you.
If you are a family member and specifically want me to represent you as your celebrant, contact me to check my availability and please request me by name at your local funeral directors, they can then liaise with me to book my time so I can carry out the ceremony for you. I work with a wide range of local Coop Funeral Directors along with local independant funeral directors across Leics, Northants and Warks.