Craig Ellis Celebrant

11/10/2026

I wonder if you have ever heard the words:

“Time is a great healer.”

“You will get over it in time.”

Or perhaps, “Why are you still upset? It's been years!”

What if I said grief doesn't work like that?

Lois Tonkin developed a model known as "Growing Around Grief", which offers a different way of understanding how we live with death.

When someone dies, just because their physical presence is no longer with us, that doesn't mean our love or connection to them disappears.

Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, or just because grief wants to say hello, especially in supermarkets! Sometimes, feeling just as strong as it did in the beginning.

Tonkin's model suggests that rather than grief simply shrinking over time, our lives gradually grow around it.

We learn to adjust to a different way of life. Perhaps it's making a meal for one rather than two, or attending social occasions as an individual rather than a couple. And with each step, we fill the space in the jar around our grief, with a new way of being.

We don't leave our grief behind. We learn to build a life around it!

06/10/2026

Yesterday’s Celebration of Life at East Riding Crematorium was shaped around a theme of the outdoors and gardening, which felt especially fitting for the person we were remembering

I particularly liked the paragraphs below, as I felt they gently brought together the connection between human life and the natural world:

"Perhaps, there is a simple comparison with the natural world that ******* knew so well.

A plant begins, grows, flowers, and eventually reaches the end of its life. During that time, it has occupied its own place in the world.

It has been affected by the conditions around it, and in turn has affected what grows alongside it. Human life is much the same."

Humanists UK Accredited Celebrant
North Yorkshire & the Humber

Telephone: 07365 911083
Email: [email protected]
Humanists UK: Craig Ellis: Humanist Celebrant

Celebrating a life, uniquely remembered.

29/09/2026

Today’s title for a Celebration of Life at Woodlands Crematorium was:

"A Life Made of Many Ingredients".

With a cooking theme, to reflect some of the moments that helped shape their life.

“We begin with individual ingredients. On their own, they may seem quite ordinary, yet bring them together, give them time, and something entirely different is created.

Some ingredients are there from the beginning, while others are added over time…”

I find that simple themes can create a gentle way to reflect the individuality of a person’s life, helping to bring their story together.

Humanists UK Accredited Celebrant
North Yorkshire & the Humber
Telephone: 07365 911083

Email: [email protected]
Humanists Uk: Craig Ellis: Humanist Celebrant

Celebrating a life, uniquely remembered.

I’m Craig Ellis, a Non-Religious Funeral Celebrant in North Yorkshire. With warmth, empathy, and over a decade’s experience in bereavement support, I help families create unique, meaningful ceremonies that truly honour loved ones. Your goodbye, your way.

26/08/2026

I find there is something atmospheric about crematorium grounds. And Haltemprice crematorium has a certain wow factor, for today's celebration of life.

02/06/2026

One of the things I enjoy most about writing and delivering a celebration of life is finding a theme that gently runs through the service, helping to tell the person's story authentically.

Recently, I led a celebration if life, for a former Royal Marine whose life was shaped by, family, and a lifelong connection to the sea, With the title being:

'A Life Well Sailed."

I find that giving a ceremony a title can help capture the essence of a person's life in just a few words. With the hopes of creating something deeply personal rather than simply a retelling of events.

Every life has its own story. And finding the right theme and title I feel helps that story truly come alive.

14/05/2026

In April, I had the great privilege of facilitating a celebration of life at Beverley Racecourse, for a man whose life was full of sport, friendship and strong opinions.

This was very much a celebration of his life rather than a funeral or formal service. Which I find to be one of the real privileges of this work, helping families shape a tribute that truly sounds and feels like the person they love.

The service was titled:
"A Life Well Played
Never Short of an Opinion,
Never Short of a Friend"

And I don’t think there could have been a more fitting description.

A celebration of life is about more than loss, it is about the character, connection, and the stories that live on long after someone is gone. Love doesn’t fade with absence; it lingers, it echoes, it stays with us, even when the physical presence is no longer here.

Craig Ellis Funeral Celebrant
📞 07365 911083
Facebook: Craig Ellis Celebrant
Email: [email protected]

07/05/2026

This week is Dying Matters Week, and this year’s theme is “Let’s Talk About Death and Dying.”

Through my work as a Celebrant, and as a Bereavement Volunteer and Trainer, I have supported many families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. One thing I see time and time again is the added stress and heartache that comes when loved ones never spoke about their wishes for the end of life or for their funeral.

Creating a funeral file can be one of the kindest and most thoughtful gifts we leave behind. It can include wishes such as whether you would prefer burial or cremation or maybe an alternative way, any special music, poems, flowers, readings, or where you would like your ashes to be scattered. Having these wishes written down removes some of the pressure of making difficult decisions during moments of deep grief and allows families to feel reassured that they are honouring their loved one’s wishes.

These conversations may not always be easy, but they are deeply important. Talking openly can bring comfort, understanding and peace of mind for everyone involved.

Please, start the conversation today ❤️

I also found this really interesting article from The Open University exploring how different cultures and religions care for and honour their dead. It’s a thoughtful reminder that while our traditions may differ, grief and remembrance are something we all share.

20/12/2025

Continuing Bonds:
Christmas, like many other times of the year, can be a powerful reminder of the person we have lost. Sometimes the build-up can feel even harder than the day itself, filling the empty spaces with thoughts of what could have been, alongside all the little reminders that feel especially loud at this time of year.

And that’s OK.

Losing someone doesn’t mean we lose our connection to them or the love we still hold. That love doesn’t disappear when they’re no longer here. Instead, we adjust to a new way of being in the world without them beside us. Holding onto the love in our memories, in the stories we tell of them, in the ache that reminds us how deeply they mattered.

Especially on days like Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays, or any tender day in between, we can feel the loss deeper than other times, and that's OK to lean into that love.
Would you whisper their name and acknowledge that its is a tough day?
Maybe you raise a glass and tell your favourite story.
Perhaps you might write them a Christmas card, sharing the year they didn’t get to see.
Could you mark the day and do something you once did together?
Or maybe you simply sit quietly, holding space for their presence in your heart.

However you remember them, be kind to yourself and nurture your grief. And remember, you are coping the best way you can in difficult moments.