Sarah Burley Celebrant

10/10/2026

He’s not wrong…

07/10/2026

St Mary’s Church was looking beautifully autumnal for a funeral service yesterday. A small gathering for a lady who had outlived her peers. Like many Hampton locals, I knew her once. She was remembered and honoured with respect. It’s always a privilege to be even a small part of that.

02/10/2026

There are many reasons why I always try to liaise with all the family before a service, try to gauge their interpersonal relationships and their different grief responses. I allow family members to read my words in advance, or listen to me reading them on a voice note, so they’re ready for how the eulogy will be delivered on the day and are able to ask me to change bits if needed.
It’s a delicate balancing act, occasionally steeped in anger, blame, family history, and in this case the management of a family unused to managing emotions calmly and respectfully.

Gye Worthy, 40, leapt from his seat at the the funeral of Cole Worthy, 17, who was killed in the tragedy which claimed the lives of two police officers and three other young men who were in the car with the teenager in August

25/09/2026

Yesterday evening the train was cancelled, commuters rerouted, and emergency workers arrived once more at the trackside. And as I drove to collect my daughter from a random station, my thoughts turned to the sadness of it all.
A family left bereaved, a train driver no doubt traumatised, and a life has been lost.
We do not know the circumstances (nor should we) but whether by choice or misadventure, the tracks are a heartbreaking place for a life to end.
If life has become too difficult to continue, please seek help.

Samaritans call 116123
Domestic abuse helpline:
for women call 0808 2000 247
or for men call 0808 80 10 327
Campaign against living miserably (Calm) 0800 585858

21/09/2026

In clearing my mother in law’s house, we discovered a whole life that her children hadn’t really known about or understood. It began with the discovery of a wedding invitation. Her wedding invitation…with a young navy man, who she evidently jilted at the alter but clearly never stopped loving.
Evidence that she had ached for him, even after he left her behind and married another…. And memories returned of the day he returned to her… but she was married with children by then, and so…she rejected him again.
It must have broken her heart. I have the locket now with his photo inside.

From old love letters to pieces of string, our homes are stuffed with stuff. When it comes time to empty a parent’s home, sorting the junk from the memory can be overwhelming.

20/09/2026

There has been a change of office for a few days. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

18/09/2026

She was part of the background of my youth. A fine actor who has sadly now completed her life.

RIP Stephanie Cole (1941-2026)

29/08/2026

2 minute read:
No Right To Grieve….but grief still hits like a train:
There’s no such thing, of course as a ‘right’ to grieve or not. Feelings are there, however and whoever we are, but perhaps they might be for someone who wasn’t ‘yours’ to miss:
Friends, lovers, exes, people who had lost touch, even celebrities you never even knew. We all still have deep rooted feelings when it comes to the moment we’re told about a death.
Today I grieve too, for a man I deeply loved. He wasn’t an ex; he’d never been a lover; and, yes, we’d lost touch over recent years. But he was my friend and we had been closer than I can explain, a long time ago. Does distance and time make a feeling of loss diminished? I don’t think so.
My thoughts this morning extend beyond my own experience and are not to garner sympathy but rather to share my support of those might be quietly sitting in the back row of a funeral, not engaging and seemingly unnoticed by close family.
As a celebrant my role is to help everyone remember the best of their loved one’s life and allow them to say goodbye. Primarily I work with close family, but I am acutely aware of how my words impact all those who sit behind them in the pews.
But when there is no funeral to attend, whether because someone has chosen to ‘save’ their family the bother, (or save them from dipping into the estate funds) by going ‘direct’ or when a funeral is far away or has already happened, it can make the sensation of grief far more acute for those who loved them: the friends, the exes, the relatives who may have lost lines of communication for whatever reason.
My own experience has reminded me of the privilege my job affords me to reach those who have lost and who grieve, even those who do so quietly and unnoticed.
When I work with a bereaved family I always ask them if I can also reach out to friends who might like to share memories I can use in my eulogy. But in truth, those friends may wish to share their grief and have those difficult emotions acknowledged.
If you have lost someone you have no ‘right’ to grieve for, I see you, from the front row to back, and all those who had no service to attend. I speak for you, to you and today with a heart that grieves with you too.

27/08/2026

For those who may find comfort in a supportive retreat.

Join us in Derbyshire from 7-8 November, to experience warm, in-person support from those who understand the grief of losing an only child or all of your children. Our bereaved parent volunteers will be facilitating sharing sessions and workshops throughout the weekend.

A parent who came to a previous retreat told us, "My nerves at what it would be like were totally blown away by the warm welcome and natural empathy that was genuinely evident from fellow bereaved parents and volunteers. Breaking into small groups for various discussion groups was great as over the course of the weekend you got to hear from and share with most of the participants."

Please note that this retreat is available for parents bereaved at least 6 months by the date of the event. Find more information and book your place here: tcf.org.uk/events/1197

This retreat is just one of many supportive events that we put on for grieving parents. Please do check our website to find out more about the support available for you at tcf.org.uk

26/08/2026

It was my honour to lead the service for a man I knew and respected, a third generation pub landlord and consummate gentleman. These were my words of tribute to him at the service: