Britain | Match and dispatch

Non-religious celebrants are leading more of England’s funerals

They could soon get the right to marry people, too

EVERY WEEK Alison Vallance goes to the funerals of people she has never met. She is a “civil celebrant”, paid by families to lead burial or cremation ceremonies in place of a vicar. Sometimes she delivers eulogies, drawing on interviews with family members. She says there is nothing gloomy about it, especially when celebrating a life well-lived. It takes skill to tell a stranger’s story that goes beyond a mere “list of dates and events”.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Match and dispatch”

Beware the bossy state

From the January 15th 2022 edition

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