Tamara Burgess is the person you call when you want to say goodbye to someone you love with bespoke ceremonies
It may not be a job many people know about, but for Tamara Burgess, being a celebrant brings meaning and purpose to her life after her daughter’s own medical situation. Tamara, 67, from Telegraph Hill in Lewisham, is a celebrant at funerals because it gives her a chance to ‘make a difference’ and she has been named as one of the very best in the country.
Tamara is one of six national finalists for ‘Celebrant of the Year’ at the Good Funeral Awards 2026. She could be called by a funeral director or a family member at any moment, and then she spends time learning about the deceased to ensure she can host a befitting celebration of their life.
She told MyLondon: “Sometimes people don’t know a lot because a lot of people don’t talk about their history or their past. The way I see my job is that it’s a legal obligation: you either have to put somebody in the ground or burn them. There’s no other way to do things.”
Even though it may sound blunt, Tamara has a way of turning a funeral into a celebration of the person’s life. Unlike in religious ceremonies, she is able to find a way to keep the person remembered without the traditional frameworks.
“I did something recently with a family where their mother had dementia for 10 years. I got her adult children to give the eulogy and then the grandkids, who are young adults, to say some words as well. They all had different stories about their granny.
“The grandchildren had forgotten who she was because growing up they only knew her with dementia and had forgotten their earlier memories with her when they were young children.
“It lasted about two hours and at the end one of the grandchildren said ‘you’ve given me my granny back’. All of the stories brought together meant they remembered who their granny was beforehand.”
Tamara will bring a sense of humour to the celebrations to make things easier while providing a space for the family, and with her theatre background, she is well-versed at controlling proceedings. Yet, it is her own personal situation when her daughter was born with brain tumours that set her on this path.
Her daughter is now 30. Back in 2018, Tamara realised she didn’t want to be only a carer. Trying to work in theatre wasn’t a job she could balance with her role as her daughter’s main carer.
Yet three different people told her to consider becoming a celebrant, believing she could excel at it. Three years later, Tamara has become someone people recognise for the way she hosts funerals and is recommended to other families going through a loss.
She told MyLondon there are times when she ‘sits in her car and cries’ after conducting the funerals of young children who have passed.
She said: “People think I spend a lot of time around the dead but it’s the opposite – I spend more time with the living. I find it weird to call this a job.
“My daughter is the most extraordinary woman who gives love to everybody, and everybody loves her. It’s made me much more empathetic than I was as a stage manager 35 years ago.
“This experience means I’m better at helping people [as a celebrant]. If the family open up to me and tells me about the person, I can open up and make it a brilliant service.
“I’ve had people come up to me and say they remember from a funeral I did five years ago. Grief doesn’t get smaller. My job is to help [people] confront it.
“By delivering a very good funeral service and having the family tell me about the person who passed away, I can make it a brilliant service that helps them look to the future.”
The winner of the ‘Celebrant of the Year’ will be announced on October 24 at the Good Funeral Awards 2026.
Don’t miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more
