Join Independent funeral celebrants, Kirstie and Lyndsey as they inform, educate and entertain you with all things funeral.
Helping you to
"embrace the inevitable"
• March 2024 saw the Launch of,
Not If But When... a Podcast •
Through the podcast we aim to;
• Bust myths around funerals
• Encourage conversations about funerals
• Give you a peek into the funeral industry
• Share our own experiences
• Help you to plan what you'd like for your funeral and
help you to do the same for those you love.
Kirstie Atherton
Celebrant
You'll find Kirstie living on the border of Cheshire and Merseyside in a converted miner's house with her husband, Mark, their teenaged daughter, their unhinged dog, Bing, and their daughter's cat Marlene Dietrich who is part sleek black elegance and part super-charged terroriser of local wildlife.
Kirstie's heart has known since she was 17 that rituals and ceremonies were for her, as she left her own dad's funeral with a heart bursting with comfort and love. But it took her til her mid-forties to realise that this was the calling of her life. She usually catches on a bit quicker than that (except if it's technology.)
Kirstie qualified as an Independent Celebrant in 2021 and has been working full-time in the role since then. Whilst she officiates all sorts of ceremonies, funerals are the love of her life.
Kirstie is passionate about the healing power of a truly good funeral. She is on a mission to encourage others to think about and discuss the rituals they would like at the close of their breathing years.
If she's not thinking about funerals, talking about funerals, planning funerals, or delivering funerals you are most likely to
find Kirstie eating chocolate, doing yoga, looking at trees, attempting to transform her unruly back garden into something
off Pinterest, and thinking about and planning the perfect outfit (it's a work in progress).
Kirstie both adores and identifies with The Muppets.
Lyndsey Conquest
Celebrant
You''ll find Lyndsey in her home county of Bedfordshire, with her two daughters, their four cats, Pepsi, Mollie, Teddy and Lola and a tree frog named Bowie.
Lyndsey likes nothing more than relaxing with her family, whether that be out for a wander in the countryside, visiting the theatre with her partner, Scott or snuggled up in front of the TV.
Her top loves in life, other than her family and friends are lop eared rabbits, giraffes, laughing her head off watching Friends, listening to music, especially T'Pau and Neil Diamond and a good old game of bingo!
She's a self confessed wine and coffee snob, she loves cooking (rarely using a recipe) and she loves to talk, about anything and everything!
Lyndsey is the ultimate Aquarian. She has a big heart and big ideas to match. She is curious, creative and keen to create
positive change.
Her role as a Funeral celebrant is much more than work.
She wants to devote her time to educating others about the options available to them, ensuring everyone is able to make an informed choice when it comes to their funeral wishes.
How did we get here?
Kirstie and Lyndsey met in Northamptonshire when Kirstie was given day release from the north and Lyndsey ran away from her houseful of cats.
They spent 5 days in a hotel with a group of other people all completing their final training and assessments to become Couple and Naming Celebrants. They loved their training. They hit it off when they both realised how good they were going to be in their new profession and that they'd both met their match. They met their mutual best friend there. They were very disciplined and only had wine on the last night. And Kirstie moaned about the lack of vegan food.
Kirstie and Lyndsey have been joined at the ear ever since. They love spending time together which they do as often as they can and spend a fair proportion of most days relentlessly leaving one another voice notes. Often giving one another mutual professional support, occasionally being facetious about things they've seen online, and always being one another's scaffold, safety net and biggest champion.
Kirstie says of Lyndsey:
"I knew she was mine the first time I saw her.
Lyndsey radiates a warmth and kindness which hypnotised me.
She also uses both of those qualities as a cloak beneath which to hide her mischievousness and her hilarious and often inappropriate jokes.
Lyndsey is the cat's meow. I honestly don't know what I would do without her."
Lyndsey says of Kirstie:
"No idea how I lived without her in my life for over 40 years!
When I was little I kept a scrapbook full of all my favourite things. It was full of little trinkets I collected on my adventures.
Kirstie is all my favourite things in human form... She is sunshine, warmth and kindness. She is open-hearted, loving and the best listening ear you could ever ask for. She also wears all the colour and sequins that I wish I had the courage to wear myself.
She's had my back from the day we met, tucking my label back into my jumpsuit, just in case my intention was to return it!
I am proud to call Kirstie my friend. I am proud to work with her on our passion - funerals and educating others about funerals.
I feel incredibly fortunate that she is mine to keep and that apparently she finds me hilarious at times!
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