Hi, I am Katie Roberts of Cariad Funeral Ceremonies. I am an independent funeral celebrant based in Cwmbran and I believe passionately that every funeral should celebrate the life and personality of the person who has died, honour their death as well as acknowledge the loss felt by those who are left behind.
I work to the ‘Funeral Celebrant Accord’ and all my services are fully inclusive and accessible.
My interest in funerals started after attending K’s funeral – a family friend who died after a short illness at the age of 43 leaving his childhood sweetheart and three children behind.
For me it was the first funeral I had ever experienced which had a heart and soul and which truly connected the person who had died to their own funeral.
The sense of loss was overwhelming as K’s coffin came into the room accompanied by his beloved surfboard. We sang his favourite songs, we listened to words chosen by his wife and his children, we laughed as we remembered stories about him shared by friends, and we learned new things about him. We celebrated and honoured his life, we acknowledged our collective grief, and then we gently and very sadly said our final goodbyes and let him go.
I left feeling a mix of emotions – desperately sad that K had gone, uplifted by his service and with a strong sense of peace because we had been able to say such a meaningful and fitting goodbye. Afterwards at the wake many other people also commented on what a great service it was.
For me it was the first funeral I had ever experienced which had a heart and soul and which truly ‘connected’ the person who had died to their own funeral. I felt inspired by the powerful service I had just been a part of.
A couple of years later I completed my training with ‘greenfuse‘ and qualified as a funeral celebrant in 2016. I now help other families hold truly meaningful funeral services for their loved ones.
© Katie Roberts, Cariad Funerals 2021
