Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May

MARRIAGE LAW REFORM is a subject close to my heart.

Consultation to update an archaic legal system is currently starting to happen in  the UK.

I am joined by 2 experts in this field.

In it we discuss what is at stake, what it means for you and how you can shape the future.

It's a good one. x

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

HERE'S ONE FOR HALLOWEEN

If you'd like to support the show:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368233/supporters/new

Dr Jennifer Uzzell is a freelance researcher and academic in the field of Pagan Studies and Death and Bereavement Studies. Her doctorate, from the Centre for Death and Life Studies at Durham University looks at the ritualisation of Death among modern British Druids. Jenny is a member of a number of Druid Orders and is the Education and Youth Manager for the Pagan Federation. She is also an Educational Consultant in the field of Religious Education. She is co-owner of a progressive funeral home in the North East of England.

I had the enormous privilege of chatting with Dr Jenny all things Sahmain and addressing my ignorance around Paganism!

Join us!

Find Dr Jenny here:

https://centre-for-pagan-studies.com/speakers/jenniferuzzell/

https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jennifer-uzzell/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQrvnU68zTQ

https://www.saintandforster.co.uk/about/

THANKS FOR KIRSOP MEDIA for editing expertise

https://kirsopmedia.com/

ALEX MAC CREATION for designs

https://alexmaccreation.co.uk/

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

SELF WORTH & CEREMONIES WITH MIRANDA ASH

https://www.mirandathecelebrant.co.uk/

Miranda Ash is a Celebrant with a rich and varied career behind her and ahead of her now firmly rooted in created warm, authentic ceremonies across the UK and beyond. 

She has 13 years experience in this particular role as a Celebrant and she is known for her down to earth approach, thoughtful touches and a strong belief in community over competition.

In 2023 she was named the Wedding Industry Awards National Celebrant of the Year.

She mentors students in the Academy of Modern Celebrancy and the Celebrant Success Accelerator.

In this episode Miranda shares with us her thoughts about Mindset and the importance of SELF WORTH.

I LOVE HER and she is a personal friend and I know that you will love her too.

PLEASE DO SUPPORT MY SHOW IF YOU CAN by clicking here:

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You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

Hi there! My podcast is a free resource and I'd love it if you could support it. Click here to donate if you'd like to: THANK YOU

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Dr Jennifer Riley is a research fellow in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen. Her current research explores grave goods in the UK today – the objects and items placed with people when they die, which almost certainly cannot be retrieved afterwards. She’s passionate about using her research to spark conversations about how the UK approaches death, the personalization of funerals and memorials, environmental considerations, and the concept of the afterlife in the modern world.

You can find Dr Jennifer here:

Facebook - just plain old Jennie Riley there

Instagram - @baggageforthebeyond

Linkedin (if you're so inclined) - Dr Jennifer Riley

X - JennieARiley1

Bluesky - @jen-studies-death.bsky.social

Dr Jennifer Riley FHEA

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow || Research Fellow

Divinity and Religious Studies || University of Aberdeen

Pronouns: she/her

[email protected]

Latest paper – ‘Why does funeral attendance matter? Revisiting ‘Configurational Eulogies’ in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK’ (Mortality, 2024): https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2225029

University profile: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/jennifer.riley

Baggage for the Beyond: https://abdn.site/baggage-for-the-beyond

The Care in Funerals Casebook: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/philosophy/care-in-funerals-casebook-2456.php

The Educating for Inclusive, Caring Communities Webpage: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eicc

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

REAL LIFE WEDDINGS FOLLOW UP SERIES

MEET MY COUPLES AND FIND OUT HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR WEDDING CEREMONIES. HOW HAS LIFE CHANGED? WHAT IS GOING ON FOR THEM?

I loved this opportunity to meet up with one of my grooms Gareth Tanner who has since become a painter and moved on significantly in his life with his lovely wife Lisa.

I haven't seen Gareth since the day he married Lisa in a woodland ceremony with Pagan elements. I love him and know you will too. Enjoy!

More wedding couples to follow...

#REALLIFEWEDDING #weddingceremonieswithjessmay #weddingceremonies #weddingcelebrant #brightonweddingcelebrant 

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

Megan Trump who recently featured in the film Rave on for the Avon married the River Avon...for real.

On Opening Ceremony this week we meet 2 incredible Environmental Activists passionate Wild Swimmers taking peaceful Direct Action to affect policy change for our polluted rivers.

Hear from accomplished poet Megan and her Celebrant Ruth Sidgwick all about why a wedding ceremony, a river and an independent film about the River Avon is making waves....

Megan on instagram 

@mrs_meg_avonhttps://www.instagram.com/mrs_meg_avon/

Buy Megan Trump's latest publication: 'My Avon'

eastbristolbooks.co.uk/pages/book-events

https://www.bookhausbristol.com/

RAVE ON FOR THE AVON FILM: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvU8Vt10JAM

BBC FILM ABOUT THE FILM: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgq22y97n58o

THE OUTDOOR SWIMMING SOCIETY

https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/rave-on-for-the-avon/

Another interesting article: 

https://thebristolcable.org/2023/06/campaigners-marry-river-avon-as-battle-against-water-pollution-continues/

Ruth Sidgwick can be found on instagram

@ruthcelebrancy

and Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-sidgwick-a0293531/

#raveonfortheavon #jessmaycelebrant #mrsmegavon #megantrump #weddingceremony #marriedtheriveravon #jessmay #weddingcelebrantjessmay 

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

INTRODUCING THE DEAD PET GIRLS!

This platform and community delves into the world of pet death, offering a welcoming space for honest conversations whilst exploring the quirky cultural aspects of pet loss that are often left unspoken.

57% of UK households and 66% of US households have pets, with a whopping 97% considering them family. Pet loss, then, becomes a powerful unifier for us all. It touches everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Kim Kardashian and everyone in between. Often, our first encounter with death is through a childhood pet, shaping how we navigate grief throughout our lives.

Cat Dorman is a curator and emerging writer currently based in Washington, DC. She has developed the lead exhibits for a new museum across from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue exploring the fraught concept of the American Dream opening in 2025. Much of her work centers on the intersection of social history, art and literature, and death culture.With Dead Pet Girls she particularly enjoys bringing to life the many wild and fascinating personalities buried in the history of pet loss and animal culture and exploring what we can learn from them. Cat received her BA from American University in Literature and Art History and her MA from University College London in English: Issues in Modern Culture. She is currently working on her first collection of short stories.

She survives her deceased cats Max, Minnie, Marie, hamster Duchess and fish Annie and Pudd (x4). 

 Steff Boulton is a documentary producer and writer based in London who works in both development and production. She holds a dynamic track record, having nurtured acclaimed documentaries from initial concept to broadcast on prestigious platforms such as the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, and Disney+.Dead Pet Girls provides a platform for her to explore and share her fascination with the interplay of pop culture, history and pets whilst also providing solace and community for those journeying through pet loss. She has a BA in History from University College London. 

 She survives her dog Henry, rabbits Tippy and Lola, fish Flipper and Dipper and cat Cassius Earl Grey I. 

you can find out more here!

https://www.deadpetgirls.com/about

#jessmaycelebrant

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

Meet the founders of Soul Films! Wendy Pye & Sybil Ah-Mane 

Soul Films are sensitively produced short films that remember and celebrate someone who has died or is reaching end of life. A QR code linking to the film online can be printed on to a memorial plaque that will be placed in a significant public space, creating a lasting legacy and an alternative memorial site.

Listen in and hear all about their creative films memorialising wonderful people in their favourite places. Their work resonates with a sense of place and memory and they were wonderful to chat to, as close friends with shared grief and a shared journey.

ENJOY

You can find them here: 

https://www.flexiblefilms.co.uk/soul-films

Wendy is also the co-founder with Dagmara Rudkin of Luna Arts exploring the power of creativity in how we grieve and looking at new ways to do funerals.

https://lunaarts.org.uk/

Sybil Ah-Mane can be found here: https://magicvideobox.co.uk/about/

I LOVED OUR CHAT and hope that you do too x

#lunaarts #funerals #livingfunerals

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

THE WIDOW COACH Karen Sutton

Join us as we chat about Widowhood and the amazing way in which Karen re-invented herself and found new purpose after the sudden death of her husband whilst her children were still young.

Determined not to be defined by his death she set about rebuilding her life and in the process decided to start supporting fellow widows in their grief. Inspiring in her positivity, compassion and concern for people who have suffered the death of a significant other she seeks to coach people through their grief to a new place of acceptance.

Karen runs Workshops and Retreats and online support programmes and has an fantastic International reputation in her global community. When she launched her business there was so much demand that it went viral.

I love Karen and you will too.

You can find Karen here: 

https://www.karensutton.co.uk/

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/

• Janelle Ketcher from POSTAL SERVICE FOR THE DEAD

Postal Service for the Dead is an ongoing, collective project where people send letters to anyone in their life who has died. Birthdays, death days, anniversaries, holidays, or seemingly random days can all spark grief. Writing letters to those who have died has always been a powerful tool, but we felt something was missing – the physicality of stamping and mailing it out. So, we invite you to write a letter that helps your healing journey. Not all grief looks the same and neither will the letters. You can submit a letter of gratitude for how they impacted your life or a list of grievances that you still hold towards them – use this space to say whatever. Inspired by PostSecret, we started this project to help folks heal through writing, the power of snail mail, and shared grief experiences.

• Mary Parnwell from BRIGHTON DEATH COLLECTIVE

Brighton Death Collective is a peer led initiative creating welcoming & inclusive spaces to talk all things death, loss & end-of-life. Here to demystify death admin and dying well. Mary creates workshops to enable people to engage with end of life issues and includes Postal Services for the Dead as part of those gatherings.

Find the Brighton Death Collective on Instagram @brightondeathcollective

or on their website

https://www.brightondeathcollective.co.uk/ 

Postal Service for the Dead @postalserviceforthedead

or on their websitehttps://www.postalserviceforthedead.com/

You can find Jess here: 

https://www.jess-may.com/