About Me

My name is Helen. I have lived and worked in the Zurich area for over 45 years. I am fluent in Swiss German and High German and conduct funerals in both languages as well as in my native English.

I love hearing about the lives of the wonderful people whose funerals I conduct. It is an honour to meet their families and put together ceremonies that celebrate their loved ones’ lives, achievements and personalities.

I have worked in journalism, magazines, teaching and translation, and I use the skills gained in my former working life to create and deliver tributes and ceremonies whose tone and feel fully reflect the person being commemorated.

My training and professional network

I did my basic training with Civil Ceremonies Ltd in the UK, rated as an outstanding training provider by Ofsted, the UK Office for Standards in Education. At the end of this training I was awarded the National Open College Network Level 3 Diploma, the highest qualification available in the profession in the UK.

After my UK training, I attended a further education course for Swiss funeral celebrants (“Trauerredner”) organised by “Zeremonien-Akademie”, where I learned about the specific situation in Switzerland.

I am a funeral celebrant approved by the “Verein Trauerredner*innen Schweiz” (Funeral Celebrants of Switzerland) whose list of celebrants is recommended by many local authorities in Switzerland, including the City of Zurich.

This means that:

I follow a strict Code of Conduct which ensures that all funerals maintain the highest possible standards of delivery and appropriateness.
I attend regular professional development events.

Trained by: