Duncan Hansford | Wedding and Funeral Celebrant

Hello, I’m Duncan and I’m your Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in Wiltshire, Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Living in a quaint Cotswold village in Wiltshire with my partner of 20 years and our cat Harry, I enjoy being part of the local community and have spent time on the fete committee, playing in the local skittles league and singing with the local village singing group.

I have spent twenty five years in the education sector as a secondary school teacher. This saw me move around the south-west from Cornwall to Wiltshire. My specific role of Head of Sixth Form has given me years of experience writing and presenting assemblies to large audiences. You can feel confident that I will handle content sensitively and respectfully. As a pastoral lead, I have acted as mentor, counsellor and comforter to students who have experienced major life events, always helping them to come to terms with it and giving them the assurance and ability to move on with their lives.

As a firm believer in the adage, “you’re never too old to…”, I discovered running in my early 40s and have been taking part in 10k and half marathon runs in Corsham, Bath, Bristol and Cheltenham ever since. Competing against my own times has focused my determination and trained my mind to achieve its objectives. This approach mirrors my professional career, where every ceremony is a new challenge that warrants my complete, unequivocal commitment to produce a unique, fitting ceremony that celebrates love, whether that is a love that has been lost, or one that has united two people.

Singing with the Bath Show Choir has involved busks around Bath, recording an album at Real World Studios and filming videos to several numbers at Wiltshire Music Centre. I have always found myself completely comfortable and at ease in front of a crowd, putting the communication skills developed over my years as a teacher to good use.

Why Am I The Right Celebrant For You?

For me, being a celebrant allows me to combine my skills, qualities and experiences in a way that can help others. As someone that has faced prejudice before, championing the individual in all their glory is an important element of the role for me. To truly celebrate a loved one, or the love between two people is to acknowledge their uniqueness, respect their rights to their own beliefs and embrace their life without judgement or derision.

To meet with, discuss and help the bereaved, then craft a ceremony that reflects the individuality of the person is always my intention.

To incorporate and include relatives, friends and loved ones into that ceremony in whichever form is appropriate or requested is always my goal.

To deliver a ceremony that revolves around the individual, celebrating their life and honouring their memory is always my aim.

As your funeral celebrant I will work with you to create a bespoke, celebration of life for your loved one that reflects their personality, beliefs and achievements and wishes. I will meet with you and your family personally to get to know you and your loved one, supporting you through the whole process. You will be able to share your memories, anecdotes, and stories to paint a picture of the life of the loved one you have lost. I can listen to, and facilitate your ideas for readings and poems, prayers and music, or I can make suggestions that are an apt reflection of the individual.

It will be my privilege to support you in your time of grief and to sensitively, and professionally prepare and deliver the style of ceremony that you hoped for; one that is a fitting tribute for your loved one and the perfect opportunity for you to say your final goodbyes.