Beverley Symonds
Independent Funeral Celebrant
Somerset, North Somerset & Bristol

From Fellow Professionals

'You are supportive - to all the families you look after, to us at Sedgemoor Crematorium, as well as Funeral Directors far and wide, and many other Celebrants. We are lucky to work alongside you.'

'You are a first class Celebrant as well as being a generous and fantastic colleague.'

'Richly deserved. You give a lot of yourself, and are always hugely supportive.'

From Families

'You were absolutely amazing on the day. You spoke so beautifully about Mum and your personable approach to the celebration of her life was fantastic.'

'The service was beautiful and came across as if you had known mum personally. We have received so many compliments on how lovely the service was, which has been a great comfort to us all.'

'Thank you again for all your support, patience and understanding throughout the organisational process of the service, everything was perfect and just how we wanted it to be, to honour mum.'

'You got the tone just right and it flowed really well. I wasn’t sure how the poem would work but the way you introduced it gave it the meaning I had hoped for. You read it so beautifully. Thanks so much for helping us to give my father such a wonderful send off.'

'Thank you very much, for your professionalism in conducting my dads funeral service yesterday, it really was lovely, and you finished the service with some beautiful words.'

'Hand on heart, my Mum would have been smiling if she was there. Think between us we hit the tone just right.'

'I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help and support last week. The funeral service was really lovely, just what we all wanted. You helped us so much in getting to that point.'

'You made dealing with a difficult day, much easier and the way you spoke about Dad perfectly reflected the person he was.'

'Everyone I spoke to afterwards said how wonderful the service was and it meant a lot to the family that you had met dad last year.'

'You have a wonderful gift to give families such comfort in what is such a difficult period.'

'Thank you so much for conducting such a beautiful, dignified service for D. Everyone I spoke with afterwards agreed. I watched the recording yesterday and was very touched by your kind words throughout. It was a difficult day but you reassured and guided us through it.'

'The service it was excellent - everyone is still talking about it.'

'Thank you for performing a beautiful service to say goodbye to B. It was so respectful and gentle and ran absolutely seamlessly. We have had wonderful feedback, including from family in the UK, Australia and the US who watched the live stream. You played a important part in helping us all to say goodbye in a positive and optimistic way.'

'Thank you once again. You made a terrible day feel that little bit easier.'

'It was a very emotional day for all of us but you delivered the service professionally and sensitively. Mum would have been very happy, and family and friends commented at what a lovely service it was. My Dad has now said that he wants exactly the same!'

'A huge thank you for taking my father's funeral. You were very thoughtful and completely with us with our tributes.'

'We wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the amazing job you did in honour of my dad.. we could not have wished for better and the whole thing was perfect.'

'A very big thank you for a wonderful service of celebration for dads life. Its heart-warming and true to him and you delivered every word with such warmth and respect; and you picked up the tone of the memories we wrote perfectly. We felt in very safe hands that everything would be organised and ready and we just knew the service would run smoothly.'

Thank you so much for the wonderful service you gave to celebrate D’s life it was perfect and he would have loved it.

A huge thank you for everything you’ve done - the service was absolutely wonderful and everyone has said it was a brilliant send.

We owe you huge thanks for leading such a wonderful, caring service for our beloved Mum.

Our heartfelt thanks again. You are a very special lady and we are so grateful that you helped us say ‘goodbye’ to our wonderful parents. To bring joy at such a sad time takes a particular skill and you certainly have that in spades!

Thank you. As you did with our dear Dad you encapsulated our beloved wonderful mum perfectly. I lost count of the number of people who used the word 'beautiful' to describe the service.

Many thanks for the lovely service you gave for our brother. It was lovely listening to you talking about him as if you had known him. We were very impressed.

The service will stay in our memories. - it was so nice and your reading of the poem at the end was so fitting.

A very sincere ‘thankyou’ for conducting affairs yesterday with such grace and dignity. I am and will be forever grateful. It is lovely to have met you.

Thank you for conducting a wonderful service. We had so many comments of how wonderful it was, with laughter and tears. We were told by many that we did B proud, which was so lovely to hear.

Thank you for everything - not only yesterday but in the time leading up to Mum’s service. You are brilliant at what you do, and Mum would have been so pleased with what you said, and how things ran.

Thank you so much for helping us through such a tough time. We have had so many people contact us to say what a lovely service it was and that is all thanks to you.

Thank you for your help, support and sensitivity throughout and for making S’s service so special. It was a really tough day but there was laughter too and everyone thought the service captured his essence.

Big thanks for the great job you did yesterday. Everyone I spoke to really enjoyed the service (If that’s actually possible), and that is in no small part, down to you.

'The service was exactly how we wanted it, full of love, special memories of Dad and a little giggle at his wonderful sense of humour! You read with such warmth, respect and professionalism and everyone commented how wonderful it was to celebrate his life in that way.'

'Personally, I have never attended such a wonderful funeral service. I cannot thank you enough for everything.'

'Wow, what a brilliant way to celebrate dad’s life. I thought it would be heart breaking but turned out to be heart-warming and true to him. Yes, there was a few tears but not sad ones, happy ones as dad would have wanted. It was a lovely way to say goodbye again. Thank you so much.'

'We felt very safe in your hands.'

'A big thank you for your care and thoughtfulness throughout mum’s service yesterday. We can't thank you enough for the professionalism and kindness you showed at such a difficult time.'

'Thank you again Beverley for all your help and guidance, and for doing all the readings. I think dad would have approved.'

'Our utmost thanks for not only conducting a beautiful celebration of life but also for helping us so much throughout this tough time. You have our complete appreciation and respect.'

'It was absolutely perfect and in keeping with our hope for a light funny farewell.'

'Our heartfelt thanks for all you did before and on the day of our mother’s funeral. You made a difficult, emotional day bearable, and we will never forget the kindness and empathy you showed to all of us.'

'Many thanks for the lovely service, it was just what we wanted, you were an absolute star.'

'We have had lots of comments about mum’s service. The most recent one today said how gentle and thoughtful it was. Many people have said how beautiful the service was and how it perfectly represented mum.'

'Thank you for taking the time to get to know Dad and us as a family. It meant so much that we could personalise our “good bye/ until we see you again Dad” in the way that we did.'

‘You oozed warmth and compassion. Throughout the Service you seemed to be speaking from the heart. I know it is your job to guide us through this mentally emotional event but the way you did it was uplifting.‘

‘Everyone was so complimentary about every aspect of how you ran the celebration, especially the beautifully crafted introduction.‘

‘The words that you spoke, and the kind smile you had during the service made the world of difference to me and the whole of the family. I am convinced that nobody would have been able to get us all through it better than you. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.‘

‘Your rendition of my Dad’s life story and the thoughtfully chosen poem was beautifully presented. We really appreciated all those extra quotations and words which were so relevant and showed you had really listened to us as a family.‘

‘The whole service was just amazing that we are so very grateful for all that you did for us.‘

‘Your personal touches show just how much you took in on your visit to us.‘

‘It was really beautiful, your words were so lovely and you done her so much justice. You are a star and we are forever grateful you were brought into our lifes to help send mum off.‘

‘Thank you so much for an incredible service. Everyone mentioned how great you were.‘

‘You were brilliant from when we first met and sending us copies of the Eulogies. You made it sound that you had been a family friend all your life. So many kind remarks after the funeral, keep up your good work.‘

‘Thank you so much for a lovely service for Mums funeral. She was a quiet and unassuming person and the service reflected her personality and the way she would have liked to be remembered.‘

‘From start to finish, you put us at ease, explained what was happening and dealt with the whole thing with understanding and dignity.‘

‘Your words encapsulated our dad perfectly! It couldn’t have been a better celebration of his life.‘

‘All you said made it feel as if you really knew my dad. It felt so personal and special.‘

‘Thank you so much for delivering such a wonderful service for us. Your warmth, compassion and respect really came across, throughout the ceremony.‘

‘You have an exceptional talent for presenting tributes precisely. Your clarity and professionalism is outstanding. We feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet you, even under such sad circumstances.‘

‘You have a wonderful skill to be able to capture the essence of someone so well from just a morning spent talking.‘

‘Thank you for the service today. You do it really well - you're very calm and professional and just lovely.‘

‘All my family said how faultless the Service was and that they felt uplifted - which we feel was because of the lovely way you delivered it. So THANK YOU again- we cannot praise you enough.‘

‘Thank you so much for the lovely service yesterday – it was perfect.‘

‘Thank you for the most perfect service you gave today for my husband. You managed to capture the real essence of him, and it was the most moving, fitting tribute. I have received lots of messages mentioning how wonderful they thought you were.‘

‘Sincere thanks and love from all the family for making the day very special. It was a lovely and moving service with lots of memories, bringing both laughter and tears.‘

‘Thank you also for suggesting that poem. It finished the whole service superbly and we couldn't have wished for better words to close the service.‘

‘Thank you so very much for all your help, support and kindness in organising Mum's funeral. You were very patient with me when everything was overwhelming. The feedback from family and friends has been so lovely and one comment was that it was ‘superbly presented‘. I wouldn't have changed a thing.‘

‘You are very gifted as a celebrant and I am so glad you were there for us.‘

‘The words you spoke on our behalf and those you put together yourself were so in keeping with the day and read with such sensitivity that it felt like you had known mum. Her service which was very special and personal to her and our family. Thank you so much for your help.‘

‘It was what I wanted the service to be and you created that service, thank you for making it happen.‘

‘We had a lot of compliments about your kind and perfect words, the picture you created in people heads of my dads life, and how lovely the service was. Some even saying it was the nicest one they had ever heard. I will not hesitate to recommend you to friends and family in the future.‘

‘We really appreciated your professionalism and the care you took to really weave the information, poems and music together in such an uplifting way. To be able to smile through the tears remembering her was as it should be.‘

‘The service was perfect. You have definitely found your calling.‘

‘You got the essence of Mum completely. Everything you said complimented what we were saying and the gentle light-hearted sadness was exactly what we wanted. While it was sad to say goodbye there was a sense of joy when talking about a life that was very well lived.‘

‘Thank you so much for making today so special. My dad would have enjoyed it.‘

‘It was a perfect and fitting tribute. Your care and attention to detail was very much appreciated. You worked hard to ensure every detail was perfect and delivered it beautifully. Thank you so much for making the service so special.‘

‘I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for the amazing way you dealt with both funerals. They were both conducted with professionalism, kindness and empathy.‘

‘We appreciated your professionalism and how beautifully you put together the information we gave you. It made a difficult day easier and again we say thank you. You do an amazing job.‘

‘You did a wonderful job – it was as if you were talking about a beloved friend.‘

‘Everyone commented on how lovely the service was for my dad and how it was how he would have wanted things. We appreciate all the guidance that you have given us and all of the words you carefully chose, always ensuring that it is what we wanted. It is these things that make a difference in a time like this.‘

‘As a family it said everything we needed it to say and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.‘

‘The hardest day of my life was made so much easier by your calm professionalism.‘

‘I would sincerely like to thank you for the service you gave. The sentiments and orchestration were perfect and everyone commented that it was pitched well. Whilst the congregation was small everyone had a good sense of closure.‘

‘Thank you, I had so many comments regarding mum‘s memorial and how you had conjured up the essence of mum. As a family we all took great comfort in that lovely service and we thank you for that.‘

‘Thank you for the wonderful service you put together for my Dad. It captured his character and personality perfectly and I cannot thank you enough for supporting our family in giving Dad the send off he so deserved. We have received many messages from family and friends to say what a lovely, personable service it was. Uplifting and very fitting.‘

‘Thank you so much for making the service for as friendly and relaxed as it could possibly be.Everyone agreed that you were wonderful and mum would have been delighted with the way in which you conducted it.‘

‘I really don‘t think that mums service could have been conducted in a better way. I hope that you will continue your work as a celebrant for many years to come. You are a credit to the job.‘

‘How you guided the writings in to order was 1st class. So from all that came to show respects to my wife they thank you for the professional way you conducted the service.‘

‘You both did mum proud and carried out all our wishes with dignity and compassion.‘

‘You did a wonderful job. Your embellishments were perfect and so fitting for our dear mum. You made the farewell easier for us with your thoughtful kind words.‘

‘Thank you for the calm and sensitive way you conducted the Celebration of Life. It was important that mum‘s character was able to shine through what can be a sombre occasion. With your help this was achieved admirably. The Service was a nice mixture of smiles and tears which is what mum would have wanted. And we believe it will have helped family to achieve closure...‘

‘Thank you for making my husband‘s Service a wonderful celebration of his life. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was. I am so glad we got the chance to meet you, all be it under sad circumstances. I couldn‘t have chosen anyone better and I can‘t thank you enough.‘

‘As you know I have been to many ‘celebration of life‘ funerals over the years in my previous career as a funeral director and the service you provided along with how you conducted the actual service was, in my opinion, the best of any Civil Celebrants I have worked with. You were friendly, genuine and prompt in your dealings with us prior to the service and on the day itself......faultless. Many of our family and friends commented how wonderful you were and that they would like that type of service for themselves. Once again please accept our huge thanks for everything you did for us all.’

‘We, the family, would like to thank you again for your part in mum‘s send off which everyone agreed was lovely. It was so sincere and personal - she would have approved! There were many compliments about you; your manner, the way you were dressed and the way you conveyed her life and shared our tributes.’

‘Thank YOU, what a stunning, easy service. best we‘ve ever been to. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’

‘We had so many comments about how lovely the service was and how it seemed like you knew grandad. Thank you again for making the day that little bit easier.’

‘Just a few words to say thank you for a wonderful service yesterday at dad’s funeral. On a sad day you put into words our thoughts, as if you had met him which was a real nice touch. Again thank you for the service, it really was heart felt.’

‘At the very beginning you gave me assurance that everything would be alright, and it was. I can never thank you enough for taking all our information and presenting it in such a beautiful way.’

‘It was a lovely service. You made a very sad day something to remember in the best of ways.’ ‘We were deeply touched and moved by the way you spoke about dad. We have had so many lovely compliments about you and I have been asked by several people how they would contact you as and when the need to.’

‘We can‘t thank you enough for your time and wonderful support over the last couple of weeks. Your words and sentiments through the service were perfect and fitted the occasion so aptly.  There aren‘t words adequate enough to express our gratitude.’

‘We have had some great feedback from our clients and other branches and even the crematorium staff at how personal and professional your services are. It’s great to have someone so reliable to recommend to our families.’ (Dignity Funeral Directors)

From Funeral Directors

‘Thank you from us - and the family - who said how perfect your service was. They said you spoke exactly how they would have wanted and it was a happy remembrance of their dad's life.‘ (Funeral Director)