Kate Barker - Civil Funeral Celebrant

27/08/2026

14/08/2026

I took my Myers-Briggs personality test a few weeks ago. Basically, there's various websites that offer this free service. It didn't ask any personal questions - nothing about job, qualifications, lifestyle etc. It simply gave statements to which you respond 1-5 between strongly disagree to strongly agree.

I am an ENFJ-A - Protagonist. That's 67% extraverted, 68% intuitive, 61% feeling and 83% judging (that means having a high level of organisation rather than having an opinion about others!). The "A" at the end stands for "assertive".... Me??? Surely not.

The breakdown says "Your career path is likely to be driven by a deep-seated desire to make a difference in people's lives. You thrive in roles that allow you to inspire, guide and develop others. You excel in collaborative environments and roles that involve personal interaction. Your ability to positively influence even one person's life is a significant achievement in itself".

I'll take that! Have a lovely weekend all. xx

15/07/2026

It won’t come as a surprise to any of you who follow me that I’m not a supporter of the “big” direct cremation companies, for example Pure Cremation (which has, incidentally, got into hot water recently with the Advertising Standards Authority for mis-selling direct cremations. Their advert implied that their cremations would be attended by a congregation). But now, closer to home, this story (the words I’m using being taken from York Mix’s article and which I have abridged).

“A mortuary with space for up to 700 bodies could be coming to York. Plans lodged by Pure Cremation would see a mobile network switching centre in York converted into the company’s main mortuary for the North East. The plans would see the building converted with the addition of 6 cooling units so bodies can be stored there…. for 3 or 4 days on racks 5 coffins high. They would then be transported onto the company’s crematoriums in Hampshire or elsewhere. This facility would not be open to the public.”

It is pretty stark reading so I do apologise. Is that what I’d want for my own family? No. I completely get why people are choosing direct cremations. But it is important to point out that all your local funeral directors (whether independent or a more well-known national chain) are able to provide direct cremations at very reasonable prices. Talk to them first – please!

11/07/2026

I originally qualified as a Civil Funeral Celebrant in October 2015. In early November that year, I set up my celebrancy page without having actually led a service and I've barely fettled with it since. Inspired by a friend and fellow celebrant, I decided I needed to revisit my "Welcome" (which is always pinned at the top of my feed) to reflect my professional experience over these last 11 years.

10/07/2026

“Grief is not a burden to be hidden. It is not a weakness to be ashamed of. It is the deepest proof that love existed, that something beautiful once touched your life.

So let yourself mourn. There is no timeline. No “right” way to grieve. And in time, through the pain, you will find healing - not because you have forgotten, but because you have learned how to carry both love and loss together.” (Jim Carrey – Abridged)

03/07/2026

Today was one of the toughest funerals I've held for a long time - a ceremony for a young lady of just 25 who was plainly loved beyond measure by all who knew her. It was time for big girl's pants from my side knowing I'd need to hold it together. A huge thank you has to go to the whole team at Full Circle Funerals for supportive texts, jelly sweets, breakfast biscuits (not healthy, I know and I don't care!) and for generally having my back. Also thank you to M's mum and dad for entrusting this ceremony to me. I'm taking the afternoon off and counting my many blessings.

28/06/2026

I've had a whole 2 weeks off. We had a road trip to the south east - yes we were under "the heat dome". All I can say, it is lovely to get up north where, today, it's a clear 15 degrees cooler! The holiday was fabulous and it was great to recharge and see this beautiful country. However, back to work with a bang tomorrow.

08/06/2026

I think this is how I feel about it too.

18/05/2026

I always take time with the families I work with to find out about the essence of their loved one - their likes and dislikes, their good points and foibles. Having been an actor for 15 years, I know that the character is what makes that person unique. And so it is my job to tease that information out when I meet families and to communicate it in a warm and engaging way in the ceremonies I write.

The following feedback is from a family I worked with recently. Always gratefully received.

"Kate presents as a warm, positive and empathetic person. She asked us about our memories of our mum in a gentle but straight-forward and professional manner. Kate was the perfect person to deliver our mum's eulogy. She managed to capture - extremely accurately - the person which was our mum. When she spoke, it was as if she had actually known her! The eulogy was a beautiful, uplifting and true tribute to mum and a celebration of her life."

29/04/2026

I took this photo 3 years ago during a day out at Fountain's Abbey. I rather like this little fellow. As the saying goes, "A robin appears when loved ones are near".