Gillian Perry celebrant

19/08/2026

August is proving to be a busy month. In fact I have Four Funerals and a Wedding. I wonder if I could persuade Hugh Grant to star in a remake of the film??!!

14/08/2026

Something I do in my spare time is to sing with a small choir. We hold concerts twice a year and one is coming up soon. Although I am a Humanist, I love singing old hymns and we sing some belters from the West Gallery tradition. These were the songs sung loudly and with gusto in many rural parish churches before the arrival of the Victorian organ. So, if you find yourself in the area on 5th September and fancy hearing some beautiful unaccompanied folky harmonies that celebrate birth, death and everything in between, do drop by.

03/08/2026

We had such a wonderfully joyful and at times emotional memorial celebration on Friday afternoon for a woman whose love and compassion for others, especially for those less fortunate than herself, knew no bounds. In later life she discovered and fell in love with Africa, especially Botswana. So the little village hall in the middle of rural Herefordshire rocked to the beautiful beat of African music. And I was given the honour of wearing some of her own beads while I lead the service. I will never forget this kind and incredibly moving gesture from her son and daughter. Thank you to them both.

27/07/2026

Just this ….

Bill Oddie has died aged 85.

We'll certainly be thinking of this quote today.

26/07/2026

When I explain what I do for a job, people are always interested but usually ask me if I enjoy it. Enjoy isn’t maybe the right word, but do I feel honoured, privileged and proud. Absolutely, yes. And those feelings are always backed up when I receive messages like this one, following a service last week. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. ♥️

17/07/2026

I think the whole of Rhayader turned out yesterday to bid a loving farewell to a local character, a gentle gentleman and a skilled blacksmith. And at last, I was able to finish a service with “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” which he’d chosen himself. It was glorious!

16/07/2026

Let’s hope that this revision of wedding legislation in England and Wales gets approval at last. It’s time!

BREAKING NEWS!

The UK Government today published its long-awaited consultation on marriage reform. In it, the Government predicts that one in five weddings could be humanist ceremonies when legal recognition is introduced in England and Wales.

It also reaffirms that humanist couples will, for the first time in history, be able to have legally recognised humanist weddings.

08/07/2026

We had a lovely celebration of M’s life today. A quiet lady who was devoted to her family and her garden. There was very little black as her mourners wore bright and floral clothes, reflecting the colours and the beauty of flowers that M so loved. On a warm sunny day, it was glorious.

26/06/2026

26/06/2026

As a celebrant, it’s always a privilege to be trusted by families to help them through one of the saddest times of their lives. So it was such an honour to be specifically requested by a family because they had observed one of my services. When they needed a celebrant themselves, they trusted me to be theirs. I feel incredibly thankful.