Ashley Hope Ross | Funeral Celebrant

Hi, I’m Ashley Hope Ross a Funeral Celebrant based in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Glasgow.

Originally from Glasgow, I moved to Manchester in 2018 after living in London for several years. Having studied Modern Languages at university, I then retrained as an actor, attending drama college in London. I still speak French fairly fluently and can incorporate some Italian, Spanish and German too.

I decided to train as a funeral celebrant after losing both my parents in quick succession and finding that I rewrote the ceremonies for both of their funerals. The problem was that the ceremonies the celebrants prepared for us were just too, well, frankly, boring, not an accusation that could have been levelled at either of my parents.

I firmly believe that every ceremony should be a reflection of who the deceased was, the love and joy they brought to the world. Of course, it is a sad and solemn occasion, but there is sorrow enough involved in any funeral, the ceremony should be a reminder of the good times, allowing people to comfort each other, reminisce and importantly, laugh.

The days and weeks following a bereavement can be traumatic, unsettling and bewildering, and arranging the funeral in this time can therefore feel overwhelming. My aim is to make the process as simple, straightforward and supportive as I possibly can, while still ensuring that I have the information necessary to create a truly unique and insightful ceremony.

I aim to be as inclusive and accommodating as is humanly possible and will strive to include as many elements into the ceremony as you desire. Although I do not follow a faith myself, I am happy to include any appropriate aspects of the deceased’s faith that are desired.

If you want everyone to join in with singing along to one of your loved one’s favourite songs, I will be right there singing out with gusto. Were they obsessed with a particular colour, football team or movie franchise? Want me to dress up accordingly? I will always do my very best to incorporate your wishes – where I can!

When it comes to readings, of course, you may well have ideas of your own, but I am happy to make suggestions, if you find yourself drawing a blank. While it is always special to have a friend or family member deliver a reading, if emotions on the day prove to be overwhelming, I will always be ready to step in to support or take over as necessary. Having been a teacher in a former life, I am also happy to help with younger members of the family if they are going to speak at the ceremony, as this can often, understandably be challenging.

A huge animal lover, if you want to include a four legged friend in the proceedings, that’s fine with me, in fact it will make my day (I do draw the line at eight legged friends though!)

A funeral ceremony cannot heal the hurt and loss felt, but by collaborating to give your loved one the most special final farewell as possible, it can help to bring comfort in the days, weeks and even years following the funeral, when there are so many other demands on your time and energy.

As an actor and trainer, everything in my career has been about storytelling, which is what I bring to a funeral ceremony, not the dry telling of facts and dates, but really telling the story of a life that has impacted everyone at the funeral and delivering it in a dynamic style, ensuring that that story lives on in the minds of all of them for a long time to come.