It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Andrew Davies this month. Andrew made a huge impression on me when we worked together on his Funeral Celebrant training. His positive attittude towards the challenges he’d overcome after his stroke reminded me to focus on what we are capable of. He was a joy to train, and I hope you enjoy his interview. He’s going to be such a brilliant celebrant.
What made you decide to train as an Independent Celebrant?
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
For 9 years I have spoken in conferences, meetings, Etc., I have been honoured to have been asked to speak at friends and families funerals, I found this to be very uplifting and seeing the smiles it has brought to the faces of friends and family in what is a very sad day, and told that my words helped lift the sadness even though temporarily, and I just wanted to train to have a better understanding and hopefully help others in the same way I’ve helped friends and family.
What skills do you think you bring to the role?
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
I am first and foremost a people person, I can walk in to a room of strangers and easily interact, strike up a conversation and possible friendship. I am friendly, empathetic and compassionate,
Can you tell us where you are based and what you love about the area?
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
I am based in Carmarthenshire and have lived here for 30+ years, I am originally from the Neath Area. The area is amazing and I love the tranquility, the fresh air, and the history. I also like the convenience of being a short car ride to the M4 Eastbound & A48 Westbound, and the ease o travelling Northbound through Mid Wales, perfect for travel, the perfect balance for me.
What kind of work have you done in your career to date?
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
At 56 I’ve had a very varied career. Then at 18 I was in HM Forces – Army to be exact, at 21 I started work at Ford Motor Company where I stayed for 20 years.
When I was 41, whilst still working at Ford Motor Company following my dad passing, I decided to become my childhood dream job. With the safety of my job at Ford, I started a small photography business, which lead me to take redundancy and eventually I became a magazine photographer for the Daily Mail Group, a career filled with amazing memories.
In 2013 following a charity run I suffered a massive stroke, and therefore lost my job, my businesses. Apart from my own personal goals, like learning to walk again, I worked on my own projects. In 2022 I became a Civil Servant where I am still working, and building my celebrant work.
What do you hope you will bring to the families you work with as a Funeral Celebrant?
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
To be a light of every thing is going to be ok. Someone they can trust and ask the most random of questions should they need to. To make sure that the words I speak are 100% the way they know and want to be a lasting memory of their loved one. I am just a conduit for them.
Can you share something about you, Andrew the person, rather than the Celebrant.
Andrew Davies Celebrant:
That’s a good question, Andrew is… Happy-
I am a big believer in happiness comes from within, material things can make you happy, but happiness is how we think. The lovely thing about happiness, is it doesn’t matter if it’s ours or someone else’s.
Good thoughts, good words, good deeds, I suppose this is a premise of me, this encompasses me, and this one thing will make light in writing of my life.
In 2007 I was sent to Cape Town on assignment to follow 4000 predominantly Irish and a few British volunteers. They had raised £3000 and given up a week of their lives to help better the lives of South Africans who lived in tin shacks in the Townships. How? by pulling down their shacks and building them decent houses.
Little did I realise on that flight out to Cape Town that this was going to change my life forever.
To see the awful conditions that these families were living in, in a prosperous country, where I stayed in a 5 star hotel every night, eating the best steak, with supercars parked outside, yet 20 minutes away there were 10s of thousands of families living in poverty.
From there on, I returned as a volunteer until I suffered the stroke in 2013, in 2016 I returned in a wheelchair with my 17 year old daughter to volunteer again, I still return once a year with my daughter.
My daughter is now a team leader, and we no longer build houses, we build schools, the greatest gift we can bestow on others is an education, so they families in the townships can pull themselves out of poverty. I am lucky, I am humbled to be a part of this now international family called Mellon Educate.
I am humbled that the wonderful Dinah has asked me to be the focus of these questions. Thank you