Based on two decades of research, my scholarly yet sympathetic talks about funeral customs past, present and future will get your group thinking and talking about how exactly do we deal with this inevitable fact of life.

We're all mortal: and the ways in which we approach, avoid and confront this fact through funeral customs can tell us a lot about human nature. I'm fascinated by how people use ritual so creatively to work though our relationships with the dead, and how funerary rituals change - or sometimes don't - throughout history.

I'm an internationally recognised expert on the history and folklore of death, dying and funerals. My publications include the Shire Library book 'Traditions of Death and Burial' (Bloomsbury, 2019) as well as various academic articles. Previously I've appeared on the History Channel discussing Victorian funerals with Johnny Vaughan, and on BBC radio talking about sin-eating and other historic funeral customs. I love working with all sorts of groups large and small, so do please get in touch to discuss your requirements.