The following testimonials are displayed here at the request of the families.
Testimonials
As Claire’s health deteriorated Sarah was always on hand to guide us with compassion and she supported Claire with dignity throughout; from the moment Claire died through to her celebration. It was as if Sarah had been part of the family for years.
Claire and I always knew we didn’t want what traditionally you expect from Funeral Directors. We felt it did not have the personal touch of knowing the person or family. We also wanted to ensure we were not constrained by being told that either this isn’t available or would result in a significant extra cost.
Claire particularly wanted to be looked after, once she had passed, as an individual. Until we both met Sarah, we were completely unaware that this was even possible. Sarah enabled this wish and compassionately took Claire back to The Potager which is completely private. Sarah only looks after one person at a time and this made everything so much more personal.
Both I and the family found this to be so important in the days leading up to the funeral as we could spend as much time with Claire as we wanted, when we wanted. This certainly helped us all with the grieving process and I will never forget those times I was able to sit with Claire.
Sarah enabled the most amazing, personal, compassionate and memorable celebration of Claire’s life. Sarah met with us all as a family, collectively and individually a number of times prior to Claire’s passing. Each time she listened to what was important to Claire; from Claire herself (all 3 of the children) and then provided touching and caring suggestions that we encompassed in the celebration. This made the whole experience of the celebration much more special.
"I wanted to speak for all the health professionals attending Maureen in her final days and indeed up until her cremation. Few of us had ever witnessed such a dignified and indeed beautiful way of dealing with death. The atmosphere you created and the glorious colour and light were something to behold. It was so moving I will never forget it. I was delighted to notice how much comfort seemed to be gained from the fact that Maureen remained in the house and could be accessed by family and friends in a natural way as if she were still alive, providing a wonderful opportunity for everyone to say goodbye in their own unique way. Perhaps in days gone by, death was always like this but our modern society seems to sweep it away as quickly as possible making our pain worse in the process and rubbing it in by the fees incurred.
However, it is her work with Natural Home Funerals that I adore. This has been so timely for me. Whilst I appreciate that this work, in the main, is for families to keep their loved ones at home, rather than seeking the immediate services of a traditional undertaking service, I was able to call upon Sarah to support me upon the death of my cat, Willow. Sarah arrived at my house within 30 minutes of my Vet leaving and we moved Willow to a place where I could just be with him until the time I chose to take him to the Pet Crematorium. This was so, so important to me to have him at home for several days, so I could grieve in my own way without feeling rushed nor in the exposed way that one might when immediately taking their loved animal straight to a Pet Cemetery. She understood my wishes from the first moment and supported this process, visiting each morning, sometimes twice a day to care for Willow, well me too actually! Due to her expertise Willow was able to remain at home with me for 4 days in great visible condition. I appreciate this is not for everyone, but it was for me. Sarah cared for Willow as she would anybody's loved one. A Soul is a Soul after all, whether person or animal and she showed the same reverence, I have no doubt . It really did help me, as I was able to privately spend time with him, prepare what I felt I should do and collect things to go on his final journey. Strangely it also helps with acceptance that they have left. Sarah was at all times, compassionate, wise, practical and loving in the advice and support she provided. Her acting as a Celebrant at a small service held at my home was a final fitting tribute. Sarah is one of those rare people, who you feel privileged to have met and I thank her from the bottom of my heart and cannot recommend both her and the wonderful work she does more highly. It made a raw and emotional time more bearable with the ending being the best it could possibly have been. Thank you...
“Sarah did so much for our family as our mum approached the end of her life. Not only did she reassure us of how it would happen, but she offered support and ensured that things would be done exactly the way we and mum wanted. She took the time to get to know mum before she passed, which enabled her to perform a beautiful and personal service. She became a familiar face in our family when things were tough, and a dear friend to us in our time of need.”
"Sarah enabled my mum to spend her last days in the comfort of her own bed and not in a noisy ward with bleeping machines. She enveloped us with her loving guidance, much like midwives do at the start of life. She gave seemingly endless kindness to mum using touch and words when medicines had ceased to work. Sarah helped us to have a family centred ceremony. Her practical approach meant that we bought a lovely willow casket & decorated it in honour of mum's love of gardening. Sarah made mum's passing as serene and peaceful as possible. I will be forever in her debt."