Sat. May 28th 3-5.30pm. Opening Celebration: Celebrating Later Life in partnership with Age UK Horsham District. The Festival will be opened by Cllr Kate Rowbottom with a ceremony led by Jean Francis to honour elders in our community. Join us for music, song and story-telling to feed the soul; songsmith and vocalist Razia Aziz, story-teller Chris Corps and the Brighton and Hove Interfaith Choir. The Drill Hall, Denne Road, Horsham, RH12 1JF. Tickets £11 available shortly, to include tea and cake.

 
Sat. June 4th 3–5.30 pm. Rock ‘n’ Roll Cream Tea: The closing ceremony, In partnership with Cancer Research includes a healing ceremony led by Nickie Allan and Neil Giddins, with Judith Silver and the harmonious tones of Companion Voices. An opportunity for those touched by loss, to remember loved ones during a candle lighting ceremony and celebrate LIFE. The Festival culminates on a high with a pop / rock set as Chilli Custard presents Razia and Friends. The Drill Hall, Denne Road, Horsham, RH12 1JF. Tickets £12.50 available shortly, to include tea, scones, jam and cream.

Saturday May 28 to Saturday June 4, 2016

The aim of the Horsham Circle of Life Festival is to enrich the heart of our community and bring people together to celebrate life. There is a strong focus on honouring and respecting our planet, leading to a more connected life-style. This series of highly creative events is not for profit and is designed to include families and people of all ages within our multi-cultural society.

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A nurse is recommending that people throw will parties before they die in
a new handbook aimed at making death more straightforward and open.
Susan Morris who lives in Somers Town, has contributed to the National Death Handbook.
“Bereavement is one of the main causes of debt in the UK” she said. “People don’t plan their goodbyes, their final moments but you wouldn’t even go away on holiday without checking everything was in order, let alone go permanently.”

Reported in the West End Extra.

A Swedish inventor had designed a coffin with built in stero for music fans, who do not wish to rest in peace. People can compile playlists before they die and tracks will be streamed into their casket with a touch screne gravestone menu for mourners.

A vintage double decker bus took Kieth Jarvis’s coffin to the crematorium, along with his family and friends. Keith had never driven and had always travelled by bus so it was fitting that he should travel this way on his final journey.

When conducting a funeral service I always begin by asking people to check that their mobile phones are switch off.

Recently I had a very embarrassing situation occur. We were ten minutes into our 20 minute slot when suddenly loud, jingling music filled the chapel. Thinking it was the Wesley system gone crazy I pressed the ‘diminish sound button’ but it still took a while for the noise to stop. I carried on with the service and pressed the play button for the next hymn and again nothing happened! To my total embarrassment I found myself whipping past the coffin into an anti-room and yelling ‘music please.’ Thankfully someone heard me and the next hymn played. The final piece of music also refused to play so I went hot footing back (soooo embarrassing) behind the scenes to plead yet again for ‘music.’ Afterwards I apologised profusely and shared my embarrassment with the FD who said he was sitting in the back row and the untimely burst of music was someone playing with their mobile phone. The family were wonderful, I felt so grateful to them, thy hugged me and said: ‘John would have loved it.’ How generous of heart were they?

What sad times we live in if someone can’t even just for twenty minutes focus on the reason they are where they are and the person whose life is being celebrated.

For those wishing to leave this world in ‘Del Boy’ style, it is now possible.

This yellow Reliant van complete with ‘Trotters Independent Trading’ logo, could be an appropriate exit for fans of TV’s favourite wheeler dealer – and is now available for hire. This crazy ‘Trotters hearse brings a smile to everyone’s faces even in the depths of grief. This is the ‘real deal’ for any Del Boy enthusiast.