07484 747 526
I am called a Service Celebrant or sometimes a minister.
The service can be called a Thanksgiving Service, a Memorial Service or a Funeral. I also help with interment of ashes.
I help bereaved people prepare a service for the person who has died. I coordinate with the Funeral Arranger or Director. I talk with you about the person and their character and history so I can help you choose the best contents for the service. I write the outline for the service and all the contents apart from any you want to write yourself.
I was a church minister for many years and took services for a great variety of people. I have taken medical retirement and changed my role to providing a funeral, thanksgiving service or celebration of a life for anyone.
What is your role?
What do you do?
How did you get into this job? What is your background?
Dane Baker
Minister- Celebrant
I have had a variety of jobs that help me engage with people including in the NHS, Wholesale and office work. I studied drama and theology at university (B.A.Hons) and wrote a Master’s dissertation (M.A.) focusing on working with older people. I have had two years training in Pastoral Care (Cert Theol Oxon).
I have worked with Funeral Directors in most of their roles so I fully understand the process.
How are you qualified or trained?
Even when I was a church minister I always emphasised the importance of what a person believed, and not just the routines he or she went through during a service. So I don't consider myself very religious but as someone who seeks to understand the individual - mind body and spirit. I always begin with the description the family and friends give me, and then design a service that reflects where that person was spiritually or otherwise.
I will only include content that you agree to.
Are you very religious?
I am available and willing to help anyone. You can ask any Funeral Director to book me or book me yourself. People who have their own Vicar or religious leader usually ask them, and those who specifically want someone from the Humanist Society will ask them.
Do you do services for anyone?
I am in reach of the Crematoriums at Aldershot, Basingstoke, Easthampstead Park, Guildford, Hanworth, Slough and Woking. I have also taken services in Chichester and Portsmouth. Please ask if you have somewhere else in mind.
What geographical area do you cover?
Some Questions Answered...
I like to meet face to face and will come to your home. We can exchange emails, texts and phone calls. Sometimes it helps to meet at the Funeral Directors. I have a long list of music recommendations and readings but mainly the choices suggest themselves from the person’s own background and as we talk together.
How do we prepare the service together? Can you recommend music and readings?
I charge the standard fee that the Funeral Director will ask you for as a “disbursement”. This includes all my travel, visit and preparation time as well as the actual service. If you ask me to help with interment of ashes, that would be extra.
What fees do you charge and is anything extra?
I have assisted many grieving families and I have conducted many funerals and celebrations. I have a wide ranging knowledge and experience in designing services to suit a variety of needs. I have experienced bereavement due to loss of close family and am able to empathise with people. I can provide an intimate occasion or a great memorial that is personal and meaningful for five people or five hundred.
What makes you special?
"Dane was the perfect person for R’s service, and many people commented on how lovely it was"