Hayley Pickering Funeral Celebrant

01/09/2026

This year I will be joining Farnborough Sands and The Frimley Park Bereavement Midwives once again to reflect and remember all the little ones who were too precious to stay.

As Baby Loss Awareness Week draws to an end, I will have the honour of leading the gentle service of remembrance during the Wave Of Light at 7pm on the 15th of October 2026.

Every year, the angels at Farnborough Sands organise this poignant and vital gathering for countless families who have experienced the loss of a baby.

We read their names aloud, share in the unity of grief and pause to support each other.

Please join us and know that you are not alone x

🩷💙🤍🩷💙🤍🩷💙🤍🩷💙🤍🩷💙🤍

14/08/2026

I’ve been visiting Woking Crematorium my whole life and I never knew this. Absolutely love this idea 🐟 I’ll make sure to look a little closer next time ###

26/06/2026

It’s been quite a week!

Aside from the intense heat… it’s been a busy 5 days full of meeting families, listening and recording endless conversations and precious memories and celebrating some incredible lives.

Today marked my third service in as many days where blue really was the colour!💙

Every service featured the famous ‘blue is the colour’ for 3 very different, equally as special devout Chelsea fans!

I knew that today’s service had a dress code at the request of the amazing and inspiring man we were there to remember… Chelsea blue or Chelsea kits!! His friends and family did not disappoint… as I drove into the crematorium grounds I was greeted by a sea of blue.

As my youngest son is a Chelsea supporter… following in his Great Grandads footsteps, I thought it would be only fitting for me to follow suit! A first for me… but if you can’t beat them, join them!

Chelsea now have a very special supporter in the sky… fingers crossed with him watching over them… they may just up their game!

What I hadn’t thought of is that I had a family meeting after this funeral! I did apologise for my attire and that I hoped it wouldn’t offend… thankfully I have met this lovely family before and it turned out… they too are Chelsea through and through!!

As always thank you to all the funeral directors and their fantastic teams this week. Despite the heat and wearing their full dress no matter what the weather… they always remain dignified, dedicated, respectful and one hundred percent professional ###

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

12/05/2026

Some very interesting points and ideas here, depicting just how free and open your choices are. So many people do not realise this. They assume the ‘norm’ is the only way, often the most expensive way too! Always worth doing your research for when the inevitable happens 🕊️

Some common myths I had the chance to bust recently and all are very common topics of conversation in my world…

☕️ You CAN be buried in your back garden. As long as you go in the deeds, aren’t too near water and the landowner (so possibly you anyway) approves, go for it. You can bury 2 people but be careful, any more and you’ll have to apply to be a cemetery/burial ground (Also, these are expected, verified deaths we are dealing with 🙈)

☕️ You do not need to use a funeral director. They come in very handy and most of us do for very good reason, but legally you don’t HAVE to.

☕️ You can keep a person at home after they have died. Likely for a couple days, possibly even a week but circumstances vary. This is personal choice with a few SERIOUS things to consider but doable nonetheless. And legal 🙏🏼

☕️ You can transport a person after they have died in any vehicle you like.

☕️ You do not need to use a coffin. Again, few things to think about but don’t assume a coffin HAS to be used for every situation.

☕️ There are many different ways to be a celebrant. I am Independent, some are Humanist, others are ordained and have niche offerings or areas of expertise. Others are many other fabulous things. Have a Google, do your research.

☕️ And know you can call your celebrant BEFORE your funeral director. You don’t have to use who the FD recommends.

☕️ Some peoples skin/body change dramatically when they die, some look almost no different. Please don’t assume the experience you may have had, determines every death and how it looks.

☕️ You do not have to be embalmed, it’s a choice, not a legal requirement. In some situations it may be needed or recommended and do check the fine print on any plans you may have in place.

☕️ There are little to no laws around how you do a funeral and the way you do the service. You have more choice than you realise.

There are so many assumptions made about death, dying and funerals. If you’re feeling able, exploring your choices, finding out about your options and asking questions can really open up a whole new world; it really is an interesting, inspiring and insightful one 🙏🏼❤️

📸 Croydon Cemetery

10/05/2026

💛💛💛

We're rounding off with a quote from Khaled Hosseini, author of Kite Runner 🤍
______________________

The resouces to help, guide and support on dying and grief can be accessed here at any time: ✨https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters✨

21/04/2026

A special send off today for a much loved son, brother, daddy, friend and classic Es**rt enthusiast!

The day was made all the more special by these beauties accompanying him on his final journey. They were a sight to behold as they drove through the neighbourhood, escorting the procession in all their glory!

I totally appreciate his love for them🩵

09/04/2026

Robins appear when loved ones are near❤️
Just pulled up at the crematorium x

03/04/2026

It was a very Doris Day day yesterday at Aldershot Crematorium… which is totally fine with me! Timeless music for an old school gent… even in his final days he was still able to sing along word for word!

I’m enjoying being back at the recently renovated Park Crematorium… it’s even more lovely when the sun shines as if it made an appearance just for us ###x

02/02/2026

Back at lovely Woking Crematorium today. I love the fresh flower arrangements they have in chapel 🌸🌸🌸

21/01/2026

Beautiful Woking Crematorium, I’ve been there a million times in my lifetime, but somehow i always manage to find something I’ve never seen before.

I love the the brass plaques on the wall, some of them date back a century, I can’t help but wonder when I read the names and dates who they were, what they looked like, their purpose in life… so much history under one roof x

Somewhere along the way, we learn that the most beautiful things in life were never meant to be held in our hands...
they were meant to be held in our hearts.
They are the people who sit besides us in silence and still make us feel understood.
The places that feel like home the moment we arrive.
The memories that return quietly, especially at night.
They are photographs that make us smile and ache at the same time.
Laughter that once filled the room and still echoes in our mind.
Moments so small they almost went unnoticed, yet now mean everything.
As the seasons move on, we realise how little we truly need to feel rich.
A familiar face.
A shared glance.
A memory that reminds us we were once deeply happy.
Time takes people, places, seasons...
but it can never take the feelings they left behind.
Those stay.
They always stay.

🕊️