About me
Discover my professional background, my passions in life and what inspires
my celebrant work
When we give those we love a distinctive and dignified farewell, we place value on the unique lives we all lead.
My personal mission is to encourage candid discussion about death and grief so that we can better support one other at times of loss.
Personal bereavement drives my celebrant work
My own experience of losing my partner fuels my passion for helping others as they navigate the emotional challenges of planning a farewell.
In my celebrant work, I strive to honour each person with the same dignity and care as I would for someone in my own life.
I listen with patience and empathy. I’ll sensitively incorporate your thoughts and recollections into a highly personalised ceremony that authentically reflects your person’s life, legacy and wishes.
A background in storytelling
I’ve always been interested in what makes other people tick and I love hearing and telling people’s stories. I worked for three decades in international broadcast news, covering diverse lives and cultures and interviewing everyone from refugees to presidents.
I’ll use my accomplished listening, writing and presentation skills to compose a beautiful tribute and lead your ceremony with authority and compassion.
My humanist approach
Treating every person I encounter with courtesy, respect and understanding is my guiding principle. I try to live my life by celebrating differences and rejoicing in similarities, wherever I find them.
As a humanist celebrant - trained and accredited by Humanists UK - I place the unique, lived experience at the heart of my non-religious ceremonies. I acknowledge the faith that others may hold and am inclusive of all at the funerals I lead.
My passions
I’m a keen landscape and portrait artist, a singer, a dog lover and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
I’m often to be found out on long walks in the green spaces of southeast London near my home in Woolwich, while I also maintain strong connections with family and friends in my native Kent.
I’m a gifted linguist and confidently speak French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.
My love of the arts, of language, of the natural world, of family and of diversity all come together to infuse my celebrant work.
Contact me
If you’d like to discuss how I may help you plan a farewell ceremony, please do get in touch. I’m happy to arrange an initial conversation to better explain what I do and how I work, with no obligation.
toby.goode@humanistceremonies.org.uk
07796 698 879
I generally respond to emails within three hours.