NOCN A little something about myself and how I came to become a celebrant.
My route into becoming a funeral celebrant seems very familiar to other celebrants.
We are typically very caring and compassionate people who have devoted a significant part of our working lives to a first career. Then, for a multitude of reasons, each felt the time was right for a change in direction.
For myself, for nearly 25 years I worked passionately as a primary teacher. My calling was always towards the harder to reach children who, even at their young ages, had already found a battle in themselves or with the world around them. I had been gifted with the ability, and willingness, to be the caring, trusted adult who would be there for them through the good times and the hard - even if it meant sitting with them in a dark corner or up on a rooftop! Whether sitting in silence or genuinely listening, slowly but surely much needed relationships were being made.
Later in my career, I lead a specialist SEMH primary provision for children with a range of social, emotional and mental health needs. During this time I also became a licensed Thrive practitioner.
From here I undertook some high quality accredited NOCN Level 3 training with the Federation of Independent Celebrants (FOIC). I am now a proud and active member of the Association of Independent Celebrants (AOIC) https://independentcelebrants.com/about-the-aoic/ It is also important to me that I ensure that I have full personal liability insurance and an up to date DBS certificate. These are all part of my commitment to families and reassurances of my character.
So, becoming a funeral celebrant was quite a bold life choice and change. I have always been at my happiest when helping and supporting children and, just as importantly, their families or carers and their community. I love talking to people and listening to their life stories. I take great satisfaction in helping people find a purpose and comfort in their feelings, and then supporting them to find their own words to express them. I'm not a counsellor. I can't heal or fix all that people are going through just now. Sadly, I can't take away their deep hurt or feelings of emptiness. But, together, we can work with these same feelings and thoughts. My simple aim is to help you to 'make your unbearable bearable'. And when we find as near as possible to the perfect balance, ceremonies often have the wonders of both laughter and tears.
Outside of work, my passion has always been cars. Following in my parent’s footsteps, I have owned more Saabs than even I dare count! I was fortunate enough to meet the late, great Saab rally driver Eric Carlsson. Saabs also led on to another passion of mine in the detailing of cars.
I created a small, but successful, business that prepared and presented cars, ultimately, to both show and magazine featured standards.
More recently, this has become more of a hobby of mine (usually when friends and family have 'unexplained' scrapes and scratches on their cars!)
We have recently bought our always and forever home. Whilst looking for a turn key ready home, we stumbled upon and somehow had an irresistible draw to what has been a full 2 year renovation and modernisation of something just that little bit special. A true labour of love, learning of skills that we didn't even know existed and the development or more patience and resilience than ever before!
As cliché as I appreciate it sounds, I am very much a family man. My partner is my world, as too is my daughter and our 2 wonderful grandsons and now our newest gorgeous little granddaughter! We also have 2 gorgeous nephews. All I need now is my promised German Shepherd puppy and I will be one very content man!
Let it be said was established to be exactly that - Paul working closely with families, and their friends.
We shine a light on your treasured memories and stories and ensure that they are shared and heard.
My route into becoming a funeral celebrant seems very familiar to other celebrants.
We are typically very caring and compassionate people who have devoted a significant part of our working lives to a first career. Then, for a multitude of reasons, each felt the time was right for a change in direction.
For myself, for nearly 25 years I worked passionately as a primary teacher. My calling was always towards the harder to reach children who, even at their young ages, had already found a battle in themselves or with the world around them. I had been gifted with the ability, and willingness, to be the caring, trusted adult who would be there for them through the good times and the hard - even if it meant sitting with them in a dark corner or up on a rooftop! Whether sitting in silence or genuinely listening, slowly but surely much needed relationships were being made.
Later in my career, I lead a specialist SEMH primary provision for children with a range of social, emotional and mental health needs. During this time I also became a licensed Thrive practitioner.
From here I undertook some high quality accredited NOCN Level 3 training with the Federation of Independent Celebrants (FOIC). I am now a proud and active member of the Association of Independent Celebrants (AOIC) https://independentcelebrants.com/about-the-aoic/ It is also important to me that I ensure that I have full personal liability insurance and an up to date DBS certificate. These are all part of my commitment to families and reassurances of my character.
So, becoming a funeral celebrant was quite a bold life choice and change. I have always been at my happiest when helping and supporting children and, just as importantly, their families or carers and their community. I love talking to people and listening to their life stories. I take great satisfaction in helping people find a purpose and comfort in their feelings, and then supporting them to find their own words to express them. I'm not a counsellor. I can't heal or fix all that people are going through just now. Sadly, I can't take away their deep hurt or feelings of emptiness. But, together, we can work with these same feelings and thoughts. My simple aim is to help you to 'make your unbearable bearable'. And when we find as near as possible to the perfect balance, ceremonies often have the wonders of both laughter and tears.
Outside of work, my passion has always been cars. Following in my parent’s footsteps, I have owned more Saabs than even I dare count! I was fortunate enough to meet the late, great Saab rally driver Eric Carlsson. Saabs also led on to another passion of mine in the detailing of cars.
I created a small, but successful, business that prepared and presented cars, ultimately, to both show and magazine featured standards.
More recently, this has become more of a hobby of mine (usually when friends and family have 'unexplained' scrapes and scratches on their cars!)
We have recently bought our always and forever home. Whilst looking for a turn key ready home, we stumbled upon and somehow had an irresistible draw to what has been a full 2 year renovation and modernisation of something just that little bit special. A true labour of love, learning of skills that we didn't even know existed and the development or more patience and resilience than ever before!
As cliché as I appreciate it sounds, I am very much a family man. My partner is my world, as too is my daughter and our 2 wonderful grandsons and now our newest gorgeous little granddaughter! We also have 2 gorgeous nephews. All I need now is my promised German Shepherd puppy and I will be one very content man!
Let it be said was established to be exactly that - Paul working closely with families, and their friends.
We shine a light on your treasured memories and stories and ensure that they are shared and heard.
April 2026
As I have updated this site and allowed myself a few moments to read back through some of the kind words and testimonials shared by my families, I can proudly say that many of these same people are now friends of mine. No we don't socialise or meet up, but we still text and email and check in on one another. And as much as you wish to say thank you to me, I also owe thanks to you and your families.
Your kind words have kept me going, inspired me to always look for little ways to improve my services and shown me that my best is good enough. It has been a sincere pleasure to have shared and continued this journey with you all.
My journey has seen so much more than I could have imagined or believed possible. Our goodbyes have ranged from those to gain their angel wings at just moments old to a stubborn but delightful old lady who simply refused all of the fuss and ceremony to make it to 100. So her story was 99 and 10 months!
We have gathered for those who passed to old age, so many forms of illness, some taking their own lives, some having their lives taken from them. Even those who truly died of a broken heart caused by separation form their soul mate. In joining families, I have also learnt so much about the true cruelness and devastation which come with cancer, dementia and Parkinson's Disease.
And just today I read a very timely and poignant quote left by a family -
"Don't be sad for me. We all come to this life as tourists. Enjoy life. go sightseeing. Do good deeds. I just so happen to be leaving earlier than others x"
As I have updated this site and allowed myself a few moments to read back through some of the kind words and testimonials shared by my families, I can proudly say that many of these same people are now friends of mine. No we don't socialise or meet up, but we still text and email and check in on one another. And as much as you wish to say thank you to me, I also owe thanks to you and your families.
Your kind words have kept me going, inspired me to always look for little ways to improve my services and shown me that my best is good enough. It has been a sincere pleasure to have shared and continued this journey with you all.
My journey has seen so much more than I could have imagined or believed possible. Our goodbyes have ranged from those to gain their angel wings at just moments old to a stubborn but delightful old lady who simply refused all of the fuss and ceremony to make it to 100. So her story was 99 and 10 months!
We have gathered for those who passed to old age, so many forms of illness, some taking their own lives, some having their lives taken from them. Even those who truly died of a broken heart caused by separation form their soul mate. In joining families, I have also learnt so much about the true cruelness and devastation which come with cancer, dementia and Parkinson's Disease.
And just today I read a very timely and poignant quote left by a family -
"Don't be sad for me. We all come to this life as tourists. Enjoy life. go sightseeing. Do good deeds. I just so happen to be leaving earlier than others x"