Testimonials

Original copies of these testimonials are available for inspection on request.

Dearest Ian,
Thank you so very much for leading my mum, Gladys's, funeral and celebration of life today. You took care of every little detail of the service and made it so much easier for us. Meeting you and having you get to know our family was such a pleasure, and your help and guidance was invaluable. We are immensely grateful for your understanding, empathy, and compassion. It came across in every heartfelt word, and you spoke so beautifully. Afterwards, every one commented how fitting the tribute was; how wonderfully you delivered it; and how it was one of the most 'personal' funerals they'd ever attended, and I have to agree. My mum would have loved every moment. Thank you for being you, and for assisting us with the best farewell ever for my mum.
Kindest Regards,
M and G

Dear Ian,
I just wanted to drop you a line on behalf of my whole family and the friends who attended Dad’s service on Thursday. My mum and brother and sister and I were very moved by your conduct of the ceremony and a number of people commented on how personal it was. At least 2 people who were unsure about this type of service beforehand thought they would now prefer it to a religious one.
Many thanks,
CB

Hello Ian,
I would just like to thank you for a really nice ceremony today. I spoke to all the family and they all said how nicely you got across what people thought of her, even though we are not a close family your service has actually brought us all closer as a family and they have all asked me to thank you. Please keep doing what you do so well and that is bringing people closer together is these  difficult times.
AD

Hi Ian,
I wanted to just send you a note to say thank you so much for the service you gave for my Dad’s funeral.  It was wonderful how you captured Dad’s spirit and delivered such a lovely service for him.  Several people commented on the service and I think we did Dad proud, it was overwhelming the amount of people that came and paid their respects and helped us celebrate Dad’s life and amazing achievements.
DV

Dear Ian
Thank you for conducting such a lovely service, there wasn’t one person that didn’t say how lovely you made it. You did Colin proud by making every word so meaningful, thoughtful and respectful throughout. You created lasting memories. You made arranging the service so much easier for us in a kind and caring way, We really appreciate all you did.
Thank you again.
JG DG DG

Dear Ian
A rather belated but sincere thank you for the amazing service you provided for myself, L’s boys and L himself. You certainly went the extra mile and more, from coming out to see us at short notice, and dealing and orchestrating all our requests in a tight time schedule with such compassion, patience and expertise.
Best Wishes,
SS, PY, CY, MY.

Ian,
Thank you does not even come close. The celebration you conducted last Friday was flawless and my Mum would have been so proud. So, so many friends have said it was the best service that they have attended and what a very caring and comforting tribute you gave. I explained how you had put us at ease when you visited us and would not hesitate to put your name forward to anyone in the same situation. For 100% attention to detail, myself, A and L and all our family thank you.
Kind Regards,
T.

Dear Ian,
Thank you so much for the wonderful service for E, conducted with feeling and as if you knew him personally. We couldn’t have wished for the day to have been more perfect.
Our sincere thanks,
IR, MR NR.

Dear Ian,
Thank you very much for all your help and support with our daughter's funeral.  Everything went exactly to plan which helped us cope with such an emotional day.  We were overwhelmed with the number of people who attended and so many of them commented that it was a beautiful service.  It was certainly a fitting tribute,
Regards,
A.F.

To Ian,
Thank you for being you and making Bill’s day so special. We are grateful for your expertise and understanding tempered with clarity and encouragement.  You gave us all strength to go through the ceremony and beyond. 
Again thank you,
Yours sincerely,
J.D.

 

Dear Ian,
Thank you very much for conducting Brian’s service on Thursday, it was perfect.  I am very grateful for the time and care you took in getting to know my family and me before the service.  The service captured the love we feel for Brian. Heartfelt thanks from all for making such a painful day bearable.
Sincerely,
V.E.

Dear Ian,
I just wanted to thank you for the part you played in my Dad’s funeral. Though it was very difficult for me and the family, it was a lovely service and several people commented afterwards that it was the nicest service they had ever attended. Thank you for your kind consideration, your accuracy and attention to detail was much appreciated.
Very best wishes,
T.A.

I'd like to thank you for being our family voice at Dad's burial and remembrance ceremony. Your help with preparing a fitting tribute, respecting our need for a mixture of ceremony and informality was very much appreciated.
Thank you.
DM

Hi Ian,
I have just got back from Aylesbury finally after a hectic few days. Good to finally meet you the other day and put a face to a voice/email account etc. I would just like to say Thank you for delivering  a lovely service that we had all collectively worked so hard on and helped give my Mother the send off that she deserved and one that we could be so proud of. I felt that all of the parts dovetailed perfectly at the chapel and everyone rose to the occasion quite admirably. Well done Ian and I wish you every success and happiness for the future.
Best regards N. and all of the members of the family.

Good morning Ian,
I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful farewell service you gave my dear Bernard. It would have been just what he wanted.   Everyone who attended the service paid you so many compliments. I think there may have been one or two concerned husbands who overheard their wives asking me for your details!! You made that morning very special. A morning I was dreading but you took that awful feeling away. Thank you so much once again.
Sending you all my kindest wishes.
K.

Ian,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of my family for conducting a fitting and very professional service in memory of our son Michael. Clearly, any bereaved family have trepidations, but your experience served as a calming effect and put us at ease and allowed us to savour the memories of Mike's life with joy.
Again, many thanks.
Regards
M.R.

Hello Ian,
This is to thank you for all your help with the celebration of Sheila’s life, which you conducted recently. From start to finish, you put us at ease. You are  a good listener and also helped by proposing ideas regarding verses, poems and music etc. Your communication and delivery were faultless. It was just as Sheila would have wanted it to be.
Thank you and best wishes for the future.
S and R

The service was a humanist ceremony, beautifully conducted by Ian Noakes. Andy planned it in just the way Steve would have wanted, and I am truly grateful to him for inviting me to have input into it.  Andy and I read tributes to Steve's life, and managed not to cry. The music was perfect. We went in to "London Calling"; my bit was followed by "She's Lost Control" (thankfulyl I didn't); we all sang the Internationale; and we then had Caberet ("When I go, I want to go like Elsie") which Steve always wanted to have played at his funeral. The last song was "My Way" by Sid Vicious and was so uplifting (and so Steve!). No one wanted to leave.
P.H.

Dear Ian,
I just wanted to thank you for the service that you led in memory of my father recently. My brother said you'd been extremely helpful and supportive leading up to the funeral. Your delivery of my father's life story was excellent, it sounded both animated and sincere. A lot of people mentioned this at the wake afterwards. Obviously I didn't get a chance to speak to you much on the day, but I'd just like to thank you now for all the work you put in to ensure my Dad's funeral went so well.
Best Regards,
C. S.

Dear Ian,
I just wanted to say that I would like to personally thank you for the extraordinary lengths you went to ensure we fulfilled as much of Dad's wishes especially the rendition of Psalm 23. The personal suggestions and support you gave us at a very difficult time was much appreciated. Everyone that attended said that it was such a personal service that truly reflected his personality, character and achievements in life ..................it was as if you had met and known him. Thank you on behalf of Dad, his family, friends and former colleagues.
Very best wishes,
J.S.

Hi Ian,
Just a quick "note" to thank you most sincerely for all your help and guidance in relation to the funeral of Beryl, which you conducted on Tuesday 23rd July at Amersham Crematorium. The advice and assistance you gave us at our initial meeting in Buckingham, on the Tuesday before the funeral, was of great value to us and helped my wife in particular, come to terms with her mothers' death.

The professional yet friendly manner in which you conducted the actual funeral service, quietly dignified but reminding everyone that it was a celebration of Beryl's life and that we were remembering a lady who had led a long and fulfilling life, set just the right tone and made what was a very difficult day considerably easier than it might otherwise have been. On behalf of all the family, and particularly on my wife's behalf, I'd very much like to place our appreciation of your efforts on record.

Thank you most sincerely.
Very best regards and heartfelt thanks,
D.H.