Mark Inscoe, Brighton based civil funeral celebrant, joins the evening celebrations for Arka Original Funerals two decades of working with the community. I have been privileged to deliver several bespoke non-religious funeral ceremonies for Cara Mair.
I wanted to support Brighton’s answer to ‘El Dia de los Muertos’ – a beautiful lantern parade led by a lively jazz band. Fortunately, the earlier rain storms had cleared to give way to a starry sky but rather chilly air. The community came together to honour their friends or family who had died, celebrating through their shared ethos of Arka’s inclusive and eco-friendly approach to funerals and the care of the bereaved before and after a death. The parade, which wound it’s way through the hilly streets of Hanover in Brighton, from Arka’s Islingword Rd branch up to St Luke’s Church on Queens Park Rd, thrilling the curious residents, with head’s popping up at windows and folk in their doorways, keen to understand this joyous celebration. Once at St Luke’s, ‘The Jam Tarts’ choir entertained, before a discussion relating to grief support in the community. Contributions included Brighton’s Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, currently training on a course dealing with end-of-life issues in today’s community, with the Lewes based ‘Living Well Dying Well’. Time followed to share personal experiences and I spoke to a number of people including humanist celebrant Simon, with whom I shared, as it transpired, an acting background.
