Simon Allen

Simon Allen

Simon first heard about non-religious ceremonies when reading an article in The Independent in 1989. He knew immediately that this was work he would do and applied for training with Humanists UK. He took his first funeral in 1991 and was later involved in training over 100 Officiants on behalf of HUK.

The picture shows Simon and Charles Nethercott at West Herts Crem in 2011. The coffin and funeral staff were on the lower level, with his family and friends on the upper deck.

Across 35 years, the West Hertfordshire Crematorium near Watford has been his 'local', although Simon has now worked at 63 different crematoria and 53 cemeteries. Memorial ceremonies have been in many different venues. Wedding and baby naming locations have ranged from a clifftop in Devon to being interviewed live in the studio of ITV Good Morning. This wide-ranging experience is brought together in his book with his own photographs.

Simon is often regarded as the ‘family’s Celebrant’ being called back for each new ceremony that is needed. Families have asked him to take funerals in Hertford, Herefordshire and Hampshire, amongst other counties and countries, to secure his services. The gap between calls may be a few months, or over 20 years, but he is always there when needed. There is one family for whom he has assisted with: Four Funerals, A Wedding & A Naming …!

What Did Simon Do – Before He Took Ceremonies?

His career was in telecommunications and I.T starting in 1978 and progressing to Supervisor, Manager and then Consultant by the time he decided to concentrate on ceremonies in 2003.

The picture shows Simon in 1986 at his desk when he was the Telecommunications Officer at London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

In the course of his career, he always worked for end-user companies, not suppliers. They ranged from small businesses, through British PLCs to international corporations. These spanned retail, local government, transport, pharmaceuticals and finance. In the process, he learnt to be in conversation with the warehouse worker, as much as with the board of directors. His job was to provide them with the kind of telecommunications facilities they needed, now he provides the kind of ceremonies that are needed.

In that career, Simon became used to the London commute, firstly from West London and then West Hertfordshire. He also worked in Hong Kong and Germany, as well as business trips to many other countries. He is currently at the 28th address of his life, partly because he chose not to have children and thus was not rooted to schools. However, having had enough of moving, he has told his partner that she will have to have him carried out of this house ‘Feet First’.

When he read that article in The Independent, he was working for an American merchant bank in the City of London. Simon now works part time in ceremonies, as he concentrates on the book.