Holly Lyon-Hawk
Multi-award winning
Eco-friendly, Holistic Funeral Director/Undertaker
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Bespoke, Heartfelt Funerals
that Celebrate Life
Covering Kent, East Sussex, South East & London
Tel: 07981 265 352
"We never knew funeral directors could ever be like you!"
Beautiful, Bespoke Funeral Ceremonies
Helping you to create a funeral ceremony
that YOU want.
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From £2,555 - for full details of what this fee
covers please click here.
Whatever funeral ceremony that you may want for your relative I can help you.
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Whether a family wants a fairly, so called traditional, funeral service at a crematorium or whether a family wants a natural burial or ceremony with the coffin present at a beautiful venue other than the crematorium, each and every funeral ceremony I create is bespoke, completely unique to that family.
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I am freelance, which means I work with many mortuaries around the country, as well as having specialist equipment to care for someone who has died at home. I will come to your home to talk to you in detail about the options available to you and advise on the next steps.
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I support people at their pace giving people all the time they need.
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I only ever carry out one funeral a day to ensure each family is given my full attention for the whole day.
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There truly is no right or wrong, only what is right for you and your family.
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Costs vary depending on requirements, please contact me for a quotation.
Direct cremations free you to have a memorial ceremony whenever & wherever you want at a fraction of the cost
Initially made popular by David Bowie, a Direct Cremation is simply a cremation without a service. The person who has died is collected and cared for by us until the day of the cremation when they are taken in a simple coffin to the crematorium without any mourners present.
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This is the lowest priced option, so for may this is a driving factor. For others, they just do not want to have a funeral service at the time of the death. A Direct Cremation enables the family to be able to hold a memorial ceremony, if they wish to have one, at a time and place that is good for them.
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Direct
Natural Burial
Only £2,575
It's not just cremations that offer a no ceremony service, you can also have a direct burial too.
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I work with a beautiful and small Natural Burial Ground near Sittingbourne, Kent to offer a complete service costing £2,757. I will also as part of this service wash and dress your loved one, take a fingerprint, a lock of hair and a photo on the day of the burial if you wish.
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These are non-attended burials, carried out at a time convenient to us. You are able to go and visit the grave whenever you would like and perhaps hold a ceremony then honouring the person who has died.
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Celebrant
Creating a ceremony with meaning
£300 plus travel
Creating a ceremony whether a Celebration of Life, Memorial or Honouring a Life can feel rather overwhelming for many.
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I work with people to learn of their needs and wants from a ceremony to create and lead a ceremony that fits their needs.
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If you would like me as your celebrant I would come to your home and learn as much as I could about the person who has died and then in collaboration with you we would create a script that you feel happy with.
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On the day of the ceremony I would lead the service supporting those too who wish to speak.
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For more information please email me or call.
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Losing a pet can be one of the hardest things we experience.
You don't have to go through it alone.
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I can be with you through the whole process and beyond.
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Pets become part of our family, the love we feel for them is powerful, real and needs to be acknowledged in the same way as when we lose a human family member.
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Sadly, for most pet owners the last moments with their pets are in the vets consulting room after which they walk away from their beloved pet, leaving them with the vet to go to a crematorium (quite often a large industrial crematorium many miles away along with hundreds of other animals), to be placed in a plastic bag with a cable tie and an id label. This is a very antiquated way of approaching pet euthanasia dating back to a time when pets were kept more as a work animal than a member of the family. I believe the time has come to change this to a compassionate, person and pet centered service which takes into account the emotional, practical and spiritual needs of those involved.
The grief before (anticipatory grief) and the grief we feel after our pet has died is just as valid and powerful as the grief we feel when we lose a friend or a family member. The grief we feel is made even more complicated and difficult by the fact we often have to make the almost impossible decision of when to have a pet euthanased. Having someone who understands this, who can guide, support and act as a reassuring presence is invaluable.
Having originally trained as a veterinary nurse I also trained as an ​End of Life Doula, these are people who have been non-medically trained to be able to emotionally, practically and spiritually support people and pets through the dying process. They are trained to be able to support and guide you before the death, whilst your pet is being euthanased and care of your pet afterwards, creating a beautiful ceremony, caring for, anointing and blessing your pet before transporting them on your behalf to the crematorium or supporting you in burying them your garden. I am flexible, kind, compassionate, gentle and can help turn a traumatic experience into a gentle and peaceful one.
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Prices start from £300
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For further information on how you can best support yourself and your pet, please visit www.gentlegoodbye.co.uk
Ceremonial Care of the Body
Caring as much in death as in life
I believe the care of the person who has died is just as important as when they were alive.
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We always used to care for our dead at home. People would die in their family homes, be cared for there and then buried by family and friends. The whole time encapsulated by love, giving families and friends time to grief and say their goodbyes.
I specialise in supporting families to be able to help in the gentle washing, anointing and dressing of their loved one. This can be one of the most profound and important moments of the families lives, giving them to to honour, to love and process all that has happened.
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If family don't feel able to be part of this process I will do this on their behalf. Families are more than welcome to sit and watch whilst I do this final act of love.
Prices start from £200
To watch a short video of the work I do please click here