We are very pleased to welcome Lyeona Anderton to our celebrant body, and delighted to see that she’s already making news!

Lyeona had an unusual journey to becoming a celebrant. As Kevin Janiak wrote in the Southern Reporter, “The working mum of three was asked some years ago to clean for the notorious Hugh Collins – who was a contemporary of fellow “hardman” Jimmy Boyle in Barlinnie’s special unit.”

Lyeona said: “Hugh had been diagnosed as both a sociopath and a psychopath, and he suffered from many other mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress. Despite this, we struck up a good friendship over the years, and for the last nine months of his life, I visited every day to help with his cooking and cleaning, doing his laundry and helping him to bathe.”

“Tim Maguire, the celebrant who conducted Hugh’s funeral, suggested I might want to speak, so I did.

“I knew it was going to be tough, but what made it worse was that my 65-year-old mum was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on the very same day.When she died the following January, I asked Tim to lead the funeral, but I wrote and delivered the tribute myself. Afterwards, Tim suggested I train as a celebrant, because he thought I had a natural ability.”

Lyeona trained with our founders, Susan & Gerrie Douglas Scott, graduating from the programme in January 2023. As she said, “What appeals to me most about Celebrate People funerals is that we see the glass half full rather than half empty. It’s an optimistic outlook that helps people cope with bereavement and loss by remembering the people we love and keeping their memories alive.”