Julia Ford Funeral Celebrant | Funeral Celebrant

Julia Ford

Coming from an arts background, this required confidence and natural communication skills to work with people from all walks of life. Throughout my life, I have always strived to either enrich or make a difference to the lives of others.

From the outset, I will care for you and your family with warmth, compassion, humour, sincerity and a passion to create a bespoke ceremony containing the aspects you value. I am extremely adaptable and perceptive, able to sense exactly the tone and style you need. I have the maturity and experience to deal with complex family dynamics, unexpected deaths and sadly, those of young people. With my teaching and acting experience, I bring a deeper understanding of storytelling and connection to every ceremony and where appropriate, it is such a powerful addition to be able to blend in laughter, even at such a difficult time. Grief and joy can share the same space in creating a true celebration of a life.

Whether a cremation, burial, natural burial or memorial service, it will encompass all your wishes and be a true reflection of your loved one. The ceremony can include many personal touches; you may have ideas of your own, and being a creative thinker, I can always come up with suggestions you may not have considered.

I am passionate about being a funeral celebrant, especially in caring for you and your family when you need a friendly helping hand more than at any other time. I always go above and beyond for every family whether there be one person attending the service or 300. Every person’s life matters and deserves a fitting ceremony.

My promise to you is to write and deliver a personal and professional service containing the same level of care as if you were my own family.

If you would like me as your celebrant, please call 07872 613041 or ask your funeral director to get in touch on your behalf.

I live in a rustic cottage in the depths of rural Somerset and enjoy walking in the beautiful countryside surrounding me which inspires my paintings in acrylics and oils. Regularly treading the boards and occasionally musically directing local amateur dramatic productions form part of my life alongside my passion for reading, which includes poetry. I have two grown up children; a daughter who lives near Brisbane in Australia and a son in Scotland. I encouraged them to spread their wings so now find myself boarding a flight to see either of them! Between them and their partners, they have produced the most gorgeous grandchildren. Feeling truly blessed, I love to cuddle and spoil all three. For over 25 years I was Head of Music in secondary schools, then worked as a singing therapist in residential care homes. Many of the skills I acquired through my work and in a personal capacity have prepared me well for being a funeral celebrant. Several years ago, I was asked to officiate at the service of a very close friend and immediately realised this was my calling, completed my NOCM qualifications and haven’t looked back since. To me, this is the most rewarding job imaginable, a true vocation, and always such a privilege.

Testimonials

From my first conversation with Julia, it was clear that we were truly in safe and experienced hands. Her ability to make us feel relaxed and supported helped us to answer her carefully prepared questions and through this we were able to recall and talk about so many precious memories of our dear dad. It was genuinely a delight to be able to share so many aspects of our dad's life with someone who showed such great empathy and warmth.

Julia's beautifully crafted service and eulogy was such a wonderful tribute to dad, and on a day that could have been so very difficult we were again guided and supported by this special lady. Receiving a professionally produced copy of the service from Julia, and a follow up phone call, was very touching and so welcome.

I have no hesitation in recommending this wonderful lady - nothing can change the reason why we are walking this path, but to have someone walking beside us of such a high calibre makes the journey much more bearable.

Sue Knott, Devon

Julia is a wonderful lady and so suited to the vocation she has chosen. She has a relaxed, warm and welcoming style but sums up totally the emotions felt by the bereaved family. She puts a huge effort into saying just the right thing, giving great comfort to close family and friends at the most difficult time. She even revealed her great sense of humour to us, putting smiles on sad faces. I thoroughly recommend that you choose her to conduct a farewell to your loved one.

Sally, Ditcheat

Julia came into our family lives after the sudden and unexpected passing of our brother Steve in 2022, then dad in 2023 and mum in 2024.

From the initial consultation Julia constantly offered her support and professionalism throughout and aftercare of a copy of service and a follow up phone call to see how we all doing as a family.

The memories given to Julia by family were turned into the most touching, funny and fitting tribute to Steve, dad and mum capturing each one's personality perfectly.

We wanted to include Steve in both dad and mum's eulogy but didn’t quite know how when Julia came up with the lovely suggestion of using the poem Some People which is now a family tradition.

All the family have said how wonderful each service was and were so happy to have found Julia who is now part of the family and would have no hesitation in recommending such a kind, caring and very considerate person.

Jan, Lyn, Julie

My sister and I lost both of our parents within the space of a year and five days. It was an incredibly emotional time for us, but we were fortunate to have Julia as our Celebrant on both occasions. Julia guided us through the arrangements with calm compassion and we were grateful for her kind understanding and empathetic support. She took time to build accurate and heart-warming pictures of our parents, capturing the essence and spirit of them both and delivered services with honour and respect and a much-welcomed touch of humour. We had lots of lovely feedback from family and friends on both occasions. During the process Julia kept in regular contact with us and was always very quick to respond to any queries we had. We also appreciated the phone calls we received from Julia after the events to see “how we were doing”. We also received a copy of our parent’s Eulogy beautifully presented which is a lovely reminder and something we look at often. We would recommend Julia without any hesitation. Trudi Puddy & Julie Murton ------ In mid-2023 due to the death of our brother-in-law, followed ten weeks later by the death of my sister, we were fortunate enough to be introduced to the Funeral Cele-brant Julia Ford. We found Julia to be very professional and efficient in her dealings with our small family. She was thoughtful and caring and asked the right questions to build a picture of our loved ones. She was a great comfort and worked extremely closely with our funeral director to ensure that the service was conducted very smoothly. A few months later we attended a neighbour’s funeral where Julia was the Celebrant and as attendees, we were able to admire Julia’s calming presence in the manner in which the proceedings were conducted. Barbara & Jonathan Binns ------- Julia made a distressing and sad time bearable for me and my family when my be-loved husband Harry died. As a result, the funeral was as good as it could be under the circumstances, with laughter and happy memories to the fore. Although Julia had never met Harry, she was able, through talking to us, to capture his personality and spirit in her words. We could not have asked for a better Funeral Celebrant to conduct the service. I would highly recommend her services and have done so. Two women who attended the service used Julia when their husbands died later in the year. Helen Thompson ----------- From the moment I met Julia, after my husband passed away, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. She was kind, gentle but professional at all times. She spent a long time asking about his life, family and career. She took the time to really understand his character, and he was a character who loved life and was kind to everyone he met. She helped with the photos, music and readings for the order of service, which was so helpful when I was overwhelmed with it all. On the day of the funeral she met me and greeted all the family as we were having a family only service. She put us all at ease and took the service professionally but in a quiet dignified manner. When she read the eulogy it was as if she’d known my husband over the years, as she’d taken so much time chatting with me to get to know what sort of man he was. Throughout the weeks before the service she was there to support me, just a phone call away. She phoned me a little while after to make sure I was coping ok. She also gave me a typed copy of the whole service including the eulogy and readings, typed up and wrapped with a ribbon, which really touched me and I will treasure. I would recommend Julia as a celebrant for any family going through this after a loved one has passed. Gill Tomlinson (Somerset)

Why have a ceremony?

A funeral ceremony is an important ritual. It allows family and friends to pay their last respects in a dignified way, brings closure and provides the opportunity to gather to share memories and support one another at a very emotional time.

As your celebrant, I will create a celebration of your loved one’s life, including a bespoke, highly personalised tribute. Working closely with your Funeral Director, I will ensure their beliefs and your wishes for the service are realised.

From my initial contact with you to beyond the service, I will gently support, listen and create a unique ceremony to your exact wishes. The ceremony itself will be delivered in a sincere and professional manner, which can include contributions from family and friends.

After introducing myself, I will visit to discuss your requirements in preparation for the ceremony. Greeted by a friendly face and in a relaxed way, I will take you through the process one step at a time to put you at ease.

I have been described by many as a great storyteller in composing a eulogy which will include the milestones of your loved one’s life interspersed with memories and anecdotes which reflect their personality and character.

On completion, a draft copy of the entire service will be sent for your approval.

On the day itself, I will be there to greet you and support any readers as necessary. After the service, you will receive a copy of the complete ceremony as a keepsake and with your permission, I will ring you a couple of weeks later to see how you are.