Welcome to Last Wishes
Our world is currently in an extraordinary state with Covid-19 highlighting elevated death rates in daily news. In our modern age we have never been so aware of our mortality at such global levels.
We wish to offer support during this uncertainty; to honour the grief and fear so many of us are feeling and when individuals are ready, we also provide peace of mind by empowering you around your end of life and last wishes .
Courses & Workshops
Last Wishes provides face to face or online training that covers the importance of and options around planning the end of your life.
For peace of mind, for yourself and your loved ones, we've created easy to follow courses that take you by the hand to look at your end of life considerations. We help you understand the options available and the impact those choices have on your family, friends, community and the environment.
Last Wishes Tea Rooms
Our Last Wishes Tea Rooms are free community events in a safe space for anyone to talk about anything related to death and dying.
They provide support for anyone who would like to talk about anything coming up for them, or indeed any curiosity or end of life concern. Currently our Last Wishes Tea Rooms are online. With safe distancing measures anyone can join us by logging in from around the globe.
Covid-19 Response
One of our community projects is to provide regular ongoing Support and Supervision for Funeral Directors and Funeral Celebrants.
As a result of Covid-19 Funeral Directors and Funeral Celebrants are working long hours in extremely difficult situations due to the increased volume of bodies and necessary laws to keep everyone safe. Contact us to find out more about our Group Support and Individual Supervision Available.
A message from our Chairwoman and Creative Director Jean Francis
In 1995 I met an inspirational woman who changed my life and invited me to see outside the box. Around the same time I attended two extraordinary funerals, both pre-arranged by the elderly gentlemen themselves. Everyone left feeling uplifted, not heavy or sad as often happens after funerals. This was such a healing and inspiring experience. I decided that my life’s mission would be to offer people ideas that would well and truly celebrate the lives of unique people in unique ways.
I published my first book Time To Go in 2004, encouraging and daring people to be different; veering away from traditional funerals. Since then, several books and many Last Wishes Workshops later, I have been encouraging individuals and groups of people to have conversations about and making their end of life plans.
Last Wishes is my living legacy and I am honoured and delighted to bring it to you here.
Jean Francis received the ‘Most Significant Contribution to the Understanding of Death’ award at the 2013 Good Funerals Awards
Our Founding Directors of Last Wishes have been featured in the following over the years
What Our Customers are Saying about Us
Jean leaves no stone unturned, no aspect unexplained – and I had no idea it would be such fun. Under her sensitive guidance and with her extensive knowledge of what is possible… Thank you Jean, for your inspired, humorous and down to earth approach to a subject that is so often considered taboo.
It was a wonderfully inspiring day, that taught me so much. I would recomend it to anyone. It was a real fun day. And at the end of it you come out with something of real value for your loved ones, when they will need it most… If you get the chance to… attend… !
It was an utter joy to meet you on Saturday and benefit from your knowledge and wisdom...
News and Information Blog
How grief can feed the earth and how to leave a living legacy
Life, it is beautiful, it is terrible. Our existence is a dance of life and death intimately entwined. When we begin to engage with this fact of our existence intimately then we can begin to reverse the damage.
A Dead Rat. Poem by John Hancock
In the cold grey light of dawn
You lay silent on the path,
Cold in your unexpected end,
Your coat still glossy soft
As if you hadn’t died at all
But had simply stopped to rest.
….
Life After Death Survey With the Institute of Noetic Sciences
Life after death survey with Institute of Noetic Sciences. The mission of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Dr Edgar Mitchell, is to reveal the interconnected nature of reality through scientific exploration and personal discovery.
Our Facilitators
Our facilitators are all over the world on a mission to educate, inspire and empower millions to make their Last Wishes and Live Their Legacy.
We invite you to join us to discuss end of life, death and dying in a safe space.
Currently we provide Last Wishes Tea Rooms as spaces for online conversations and support for those who believe it’s important to talk about these sensitive but necessary and often taboo topics.
We also have online courses to share the importance of and options around planning the end of your life.
Our Facilitators help create peace of mind, for yourself and your loved ones as they take you by the hand to look at your end of life considerations. Helping you understand the options available and the impact those choices have on your family, friends, community and the environment.
Jean
As a result of attending two extraordinary pre-arranged funerals where everyone left feeling uplifted, Jean life’s mission has been offering people ideas that would well and truly celebrate the lives of unique people in unique ways. Last Wishes Workshops and Courses impart Jeans knowledge and encourage people to make their end of life plans.
Dawn
Experiencing first hand how attending a Last Wishes Workshop ensured Dawn could indeed know and be able to fulfill her mother's Last Wishes. Dawn is passionate to share all she has learnt, so others may too have more peace of mind while tending to a loved one and saying goodbye gracefully.
Nicole
As an independent celebrant, Nicole is drawn to ensuring those who desire it, should experience the profound ways we can honour our loved ones. Thereby celebrating their lives in meaningful ways. Seeing the trouble her mother went through sorting out her fathers estate, Last Wishes covers all she could hope and more for participants.
Amanda
The happiness and wellbeing of people and our planet has informed Amanda's career for nearly thirty years. As a modern culture we are not encouraged to be open about death. The serious consequences of this, for both our health and the wellbeing of our planet are what brought Amanda to be a facilitator.
Jo
Passionate to get people talking about end of life before there is a need. Jo is an Independant Funeral Director based in Congleton. She joined the Last Wishes Facilitation team to encourage these conversations in her local community. Jo has seen first hand the peace of mind of locals attending Last Wishes courses.
