Ian’s Story
My background is in teaching and Christian ministry, with my working life consisting of many jobs the main ones being:
Middle School teaching in London from 1982 – 86, in which I learnt the joys of seeing young lives developing under my care in a strongly multi-cultural setting.
This was followed by ordination into Christian ministry in the Baptist denomination and working as a church minister from 1986 – 2001, in South Wales and in Hampshire. During this time I developed my heart for caring for all aspects of our life journey, joy, frustration, pain and loss through being at the heart of these issues in the life of a community. I also broadened my understanding of ceremony and symbolism in many traditions through ecumenical work with people of faith.
In 2002 I returned to teaching, this time it was to be Secondary school teaching with responsibility for Pastoral Care until the end of 2020.
My qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from University College London, a Bachelor of Divinity degree from University College Cardiff and a Diploma in Pastoral Studies, also from Cardiff.
For my entire working life, I have been involved in pastoral care through my teaching role with children and through 15 years of work with all aspects of ministry during which I was regularly involved both in taking children’s dedications, weddings, funerals as well as dealing with all manner of life struggles and joys. While in this role I also spent time training others to these roles. After leaving the church ministry in 2001 my personal views broadened considerably and I explored and became involved with wider spiritualities, including training as a Reiki practitioner.
I am strongly of the view that thoughtful and well-constructed ceremony is of vital importance in the key transition times of our human experience. I offer myself to design, build and conduct such ceremonies whether atheist, humanist, spiritual or religious as my perspective is that all views should be honoured and funerals (as well as other ceremonies) need to serve the living who mourn, enabling them to remember with gratitude, mourn with sincerity, let go of the deceased with confidence, and begin their journey forward into the future with strength and clear remembrance of the one who has gone.
I am a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants which provides both personal and public liability insurance cover and also shows my agreement to their Code of Conduct for Celebrants. My entry in their list of approved celebrants can be found here.
