About Susanna Watson
Funeral Celebrant
Training to be a funeral celebrant grew out of my experience working at Dorothy House Hospice. I worked there first as a social worker and then as team lead for the Family Support services, with overall responsibility for counselling, spiritual care and bereavement support.
Some of my work at Dorothy House was supporting families in financial difficulties associated with the end of life. As a result I'm committed to planning lower cost celebrations when needed.
I finished my celebrancy training with Green Fuse in October 2021 and, since then, have been taking funerals in and around Bath. Many of these have been at Haycombe, but I've also led celebrations of life in natural and woodland burial grounds, in a farmer's field, at a hotel and in a local art gallery.
I find it a real privilege to be present at such a difficult time, to listen to people's memories and feelings and to help put together a ceremony which allows family and friends to grieve and to celebrate.
I first came to Bath to work for the Bath International Music Festival, but then retrained as an adult social worker. Although I no longer practise, I am still registered and have a current DBS certificate. I continue to work a few days a month as a clinical supervisor at Dorothy House, providing support to groups of nurses and other health professionals.
My own roots are in the Christian tradition, but I am equally at home taking funerals which are non-religious or which reflect other spiritual or religious faiths.
I am a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants and the Good Funeral Guild, a collective of like-minded people working to change funerals for the better. I have also signed up to the Funeral Celebrancy Council’s Funeral Celebrant Accord.
I am also a musician and a confident singer, so happy to sing on my own or lead singing at funerals.
To find out more about funeral celebrants and how I can help you plan and lead a funeral ceremony or celebration of life, get in touch.
It is as natural to die as it is to be born. Death is no more our enemy than the clouds or the earth are our enemies. Death is the background against which life can shine.