The Humanist Society of Scotland provides trained Celebrants to conduct non-religious ceremonies. Celebrants may be contacted directly, or through one of our Regional Coordinators.
 
We do not claim that our Registered Celebrants are the only people capable of conducting satisfactory non-religious funerals, but they are all capable of conducting dignified, respectful, and personalised funerals to a very high standard. They are supported by guidance notes and periodic ongoing training. All our Registered Celebrants are members of the association of European Humanist Professionals, and are covered by Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance. Other non-registered 'celebrants' may not have this cover.
 
Our Celebrants have to follow our Code of Conduct and we have a complaints procedure to deal with the unlikely possibility of any Celebrant failing to maintain our high standards. On the contrary, Celebrants often receive letters of appreciation from grateful relatives after funerals.
 
While we cannot guarantee to meet every request for a Celebrant, we try our utmost to do so. We can either take responsibility for the entire ceremony, advise the family as to how to do it themselves, or anything in between. We are prepared to officiate at cremations or interments; we will also conduct memorial ceremonies.
 
The ceremony may be held in a private home, a crematorium, a funeral parlour, at a graveside, or at various other places. Although the ceremony will be non-religious, it will not be anti-religious, and we do our best to avoid giving offence to anyone, whatever their personal beliefs.
 
As Humanism is not a religion, the word 'service' should not be used in death intimations - 'funeral ceremony' or even just 'funeral', is satisfactory.
 
At a Humanist funeral ceremony, there are no prayers, bible readings, hymns, etc. We generally include music, on CD or tape, played by the organist or by other live musician(s), as chosen by the family. We frequently include readings of prose or poetry from a wide variety of sources.
 
The main part of the ceremony is normally a tribute, compiled and read by the Celebrant, celebrating the life history and character of the deceased person. This is usually followed by a short period of silent meditation, for mourners to recall personal memories of the deceased. We can accept participation in the ceremony by family members or friends, reading a poem, a prose passage or their own personal tribute.

The fee for conducting a funeral may, on occasion, be waived, for example for the funeral of a child under sixteen, or of one of our own members.
However, at present we suggest a fee of £100 for a standard funeral and £150 for a longer or more complex funeral, plus travel expenses where relevant. As the fee covers preliminary visits or telephone interviews with the family, and the time spent in composing an individual tribute, as well as the actual ceremony itself, we believe this is a very moderate charge.

It is best if the Funeral Director establishes the amount of payment when first making contact with a Celebrant. The fee is generally paid through the Funeral Director, unless the family prefers to deal directly. Cheques should be made payable to the Celebrant personally, unless otherwise advised.

 
As Celebrants may have other calls upon their time, they should be given as much notice as possible. In particular, Funeral Directors should consult with them before finalising the date and time of a Humanist funeral.
 
In case of any difficulty in contacting a Celebrant, please contact one of our Regional Coordinators. Their names and telephone numbers are below. Please note that these are special dedicated numbers - if a Coordinator should change, or go on holiday, the number will remain the same and be transferred to the appropriate new person.

 

Region	Postcode	Phone
North	AB, DD, HS, IV, KW, PH, ZE	07010 714 775
West	DG, G, KA, ML, PA	07010 714 776
East	EH, FK , KY , TD	07010 714 778