David Somerville Independent Celebrant Reviews 116

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.9

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 50 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the staff for their genuine care, compassion, and ability to capture the true essence of their loved ones through incredible storytelling. The service provided is frequently described as personal, warm, and incredibly true to the character of the deceased, making people feel at ease during difficult times. Many reviewers highlight the exceptional customer service, noting the professionalism, empathy, and patience shown throughout the entire process, from initial meetings to the delivery of the service. People often mention that the celebrant's ability to listen and understand family wishes results in a deeply personal and fitting tribute that brings comfort and dignity. The overall sentiment is that the company's staff are truly amazing, kind, and caring, making a difficult experience manageable and memorable for families.

What people talk about most

Staff

Reviewers express immense gratitude and satisfaction with the staff, particularly praising their genuine... See more

Service

Clients share positive opinions on service, with many reviewers expressing gratitude for the personal, warm,... See more

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be a positive experience, with many reviewers highlighting the compassion,... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David conducted the most wonderful eulogy for my father who sadly passed away aged 94. He was able to capture the true essence of my Dad through his incredible story telling and by bringing to life th... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David conducted the funeral service for our Mum who died suddenly and unexpectedly. From the first phone call with him we were put at ease. He wrote the most wonderful eulogy and poem for our mum, cap... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Dont know where to start... felt like David was an old family friend so comfortable to share our stories! The first draft captured my granda perfectly there was no need for any amendments! Even on the... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David was exceptional throughout the entire process. He took real time to listen and genuinely understand who my dad was — not just the stories, but the kind of man he was at his core. When he delive... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Funeral Director

Written by the company

Hello, I’m David Somerville, an award-winning independent funeral celebrant based in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. With a background in acting, performance, and mental health advocacy, I specialise in creating meaningful, personalised ceremonies that celebrate life’s vibrant colours. Having grown up in South Lanarkshire and now residing in North Lanarkshire, I am committed to supporting local families during their most challenging moments. My mission is to guide you through grief with compassion and professionalism, honouring each unique life story in a way that brings comfort and peace. Conducting funeral services is an honour and a privilege that gives me a profound sense of purpose. My own journey of loss has shaped my passion for this work. I am continually reminded of love’s enduring power in this sacred role. As a funeral celebrant, I create memorable tributes that reflect your loved one’s unique story and values. Personalised Funeral Services: Tailored ceremonies with music, readings, and tributes. Memorial Services: Informal gatherings to share memories and celebrate life. Celebration of Life Ceremonies: Joyous events that highlight positive memories and connections. Graveside Services: Intimate settings for final goodbyes. Interment and Scattering of Ashes: Respectful services tailored to your needs. Each service is crafted with care to ensure meaningful tributes.


Contact info

4.9

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

116 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I cannot fault David

I cannot fault David, he was very understanding and patient with myself and family when we met up with him. David went above and beyond and make a sad experience manageable.

September 11, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and review, Tricia. I was truly honoured to conduct your mum's service and to be there to support you and your family during such a difficult time. Please take care and love to you all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David's experience of these matters…

David's experience of these matters made it easy for the Family to express the life of our later mother. The eulogy was heart warming.

September 8, 2025
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words, James. I was truly honoured to conduct your mum's service and to be there to support you and your family.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

First Class Service - Felt We Were in Safe Hands

David conducted our mum’s funeral, as a celebration of her life, and we were very happy with how he handled things. He was able to accurately capture the essence of my mum’s life, weaving her story together expertly, as well as his general approach being exemplary - being both careful and compassionate at all times.

This has been one of the hardest things we, as a family, have had to go through, and to have David’s knowledge, experience and guidance helped us immensely - with particular praise being due on advising us of the best moment during the ceremony to place flowers on my mum’s coffin. Without David’s guidance I’m not sure we would have been capable of doing so at the time we had envisaged.

Many thanks again, and if our review reassures one family that they're in safe hands it has been well worth it.

September 12, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and lovely review, Euan. I was truly honoured to conduct your mum's service and to be there to support you, your sisters, your dad and all your family during such a terribly difficult time. I was very privileged indeed to celebrate your wonderful mum's life. Sending love to you all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David was perfect

David was perfect. He understood what we wanted and picked up and understood mum. He had a very natural and caring style which made us comfortable.

He showed great respect and a caring attitude. He made us all feel at ease and at one with mum on the day.

September 2, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and lovely review, Janet. I was truly honoured to conduct your mum's service and to be there to support you, your sisters and your family during such a difficult time. I was very privileged indeed to celebrate your wonderful mum's life. Sending love to you all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Funeral service

David conducted the service for my wife's funeral. He came to chat with the family and was very compassionate and understanding. He listened to stories and got a sense of who she was, her character and her values. He kept in touch regularly in the run up to the funeral tweaking his Eulogy as required. On the day he was amazing, he captured my wife's personality, character and soul perfectly. We had wanted a light hearted service and that's what he delivered, the stories we had given were told with joy and perfect timing. There were tears and laughter, I don't think anyone could have done a better job. He stayed in touch afterwards and sent a copy of the final Eulogy as a keep sake. I would highly recommend David.

August 29, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your lovely review and recommendation, Kristy. I was very honoured to conduct Yvonne's service and to be there to support you and Yvonne's family. The turnout on the day spoke volumes about how much Yvonne was loved and respected. Much love to you all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

100% recommend David

I do not think I have the words to say how great David was when he was the celebrant at my Sisters Funeral. He was very attentive and there was 3-4 different family members contacting him with changes and additions to my sisters eulogy which didn’t seem to annoy him at all. He even watched Dirty Dancing for the first time to put some personal touches to the eulogy: nobody puts baby in the corner was the quote he added which was very fitting. I would 100% recommend David x

August 28, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and lovely review, Donna. I was truly honoured to conduct Elizabeth's service and to be there to support you and your family during such a difficult time. Please take care.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended

David was excellent he made a very difficult day go well for myself. He spoke of my partner so well. It felt like he knew her. He conducted a lovely bright and cheerful service and that what I wanted.

August 28, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thanks very much, Gavin, for your kind review. I was honoured to conduct Elizabeth’s service and celebrate her life. A beautiful soul inside and out. Much love to you and your family.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I can’t recommend David enough

I can’t recommend David enough. The service he conducted for my mum was truly lovely. With the little information i had told him i was worried it wasn’t enough but the eulogy came back and it’s as if he knew my mum personally. He is truly an amazing person so kind and caring and genuinely takes pride in what he does.

August 28, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and recommendation, Shakira. I was very honoured to conduct your mum's service and privileged to be there to support you and your family. Sending love to you all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I can't recommend David highly enough

I can't recommend David highly enough. As well as being caring and compassionate, he completely understood what we wanted and was so helpful in shaping the service, doing the heavy lifting by putting together the first draft of the eulogy, which then only needed some fine-tuning at our end. All in all he made a difficult situation so much easier.

May 2, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and recommendation, Irene. I was truly honoured when you asked me to conduct Alex's service. I was also privileged to be there to support you and your family during such a difficult time. Sending love to you and all the family.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Huge thanks to David Somerville

Cannot thank you enough David for the care and compassion you have shown myself and my family since the passing of my beloved dad Billy. From coming out to the house (and dealing with the rabble of the family sharing stories) through to the professionalism of conducting his funeral with the right mix of humour and satire which had my dad down to a tee!

June 13, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much for your kind words and lovely review, Graeme. I was truly honoured to conduct your dad's service and to be there to support you and your family during such a difficult time. Sending love to all the family.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Our Final Goodbye to a wonderful lady

I can’t thank David enough for the beautiful eulogy and service for my aunt Isabel. It was a personal and fitting final goodbye to a wonderful lady. I would highly recommend David. His professionalism and kindness shown to our family at this time was lovely and as if he’d known her personally all her life. Thank you ❤️.

June 4, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Lorna. I was truly honoured to conduct your Aunt Isabel's service and to be there to support you and your family. Sending all my love to you all. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Eulogy for our mum

David was recommended to us and now having met him we couldn't praise him highly enough. David listened to all our families fond memories of mum and thoughtfully composed a special and moving eulogy that celebrated her life and did so with compassion and sincerity.
Everyone that attended said that it was such a beautiful and fitting tribute to our mum.

Thanks again David from the Buick and Lauriston families.

June 3, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much, Ian, for your kind words and lovely review. I was truly honoured to conduct your mum's service and to be there to support you, Julie and your family. Sending all my love to you all. David

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Can’t thank David enough!

Can’t thank David enough for our Fathers eulogy. Still don’t know how he managed to make it so wonderful, our words can’t describe what he did but his certainly could. We felt we hadn’t given him much to go on yet somehow he managed to get exactly what the whole family wanted and he was so understanding and kind giving us this lasting memory.

May 20, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Janice, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review. I was truly honoured to conduct your dad's service and to be there to support your family. You all made me feel so welcome when I visited. Sending all my love to you all. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Service

We were so grateful to have had David as the celebrant for our brother David’s service. From the outset, he showed such genuine compassion, warmth, and professionalism. He took the time to get to know us and truly understand our family, creating a ceremony that was personal, heartfelt, and deeply respectful.

On the day, he led the service with such sincerity and care — a beautiful celebration of our amazing brother’s life. David also wrote a touching poem in his honour, which meant so much to us. Many of our friends and family commented on how moving and fitting the ceremony was.

David helped guide us through an incredibly difficult time with such care and support. We couldn't have asked for more.

Thank you David, you are a truly special person and your words and presence brought comfort and peace to us all. Sharon and family xx

June 11, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review. I was truly honoured to conduct David's service and to be there to support your family. Sending all my love to you all. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Eulogy for Dad

The loss of my dad has been difficult. So having to find someone to speak about his incredible life wasn't easy.
David was recommended to us. I can honestly say that David was exactly what our family needed. On first meeting him he listened to our stories and took a lot of notes. We told him we wanted to celebrate dad's life and tell his story. The eulogy he wrote him was so special we really couldn't have asked for better. After the funeral everyone commented on David's eulogy. David told dad's story so well, he really captured the colours of his life and incredible character. We wanted it to be lighthearted with a bit of humor and that's what he gave us.
David also wrote a poem about dad's life which we will treasure forever .

May 24, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you Lynne for your kind words and lovely review. Your recommendation means the world to me. I was extremely honoured to conduct your dad's service, to support you and your family, and to celebrate your dad's life. The wonderful turnout on the day spoke volumes about how much your dad was loved. Sending love to you and your family. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I can’t thank David enough for his care…

I can’t thank David enough for his care and compassion and his lovely eulogy which captured my dad’s true personality as if he knew him and his attention to detail was outstanding even wearing a poppy on the day as my dad always wore one . David made the service feel like a celebration of his life which I am sure my dad would have wanted . It made us laugh and made us cry and I will never forget how he made such a difficult day that much easier, my daughter also mentioned that he was smiling at her throughout the service reassuring her and everyone agreed it was a lovely service which I will always cherish.

May 27, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thanks so much, Sharon, for your kind words and lovely review. I was truly honoured to conduct your dad's service and to be there for you and your family. Sending all my love to you all. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Absolute gentleman

David carried out the service for our veteran father today, and words can't fully express how grateful we are. Everyone was truly blown away hearing about my dad — his military service, his unwavering dedication to family, and the incredible man he was. David captured our family's emotions with such authenticity and compassion — saying what we struggled to find the words for, as tears rolled down our cheeks.

He was professional, warm, and even brought a touch of wit that reminded us of dad himself. David told the story of our dad's life, and he truly did our father proud.

I would highly recommend David. You can trust him wholeheartedly to honour your loved one’s story during such emotional times. Everyone in attendance commented on what a fantastic service he delivered. Believe all the reviews before this.

The personal poem David wrote and shared at the end was a deeply touching tribute that led beautifully into the burial. At the cemetery, he read a soldier's prayer upon our request, with a sense of reverence that, combined with the ambient sound of the bagpipes and the moving notes of the bugler playing the Last Post, created a moment we will never forget.

By the end, David felt like part of our family and captured his life as if he knew dad personally. We are so proud of him and forever thankful.

June 2, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review Carol. I am truly honoured to have been part of such a meaningful moment for your family. It means a great deal to hear that the service touched you and your loved ones, and that I could help celebrate and honour your dad's remarkable life and service to his country. Wishing you and your family comfort and peace, and thank you again for your wonderful recommendation. Sending much love, David

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David was beyond amazing

David was beyond amazing! He put us at ease and we didn’t really think we had given him much information - then the draft Eulogy came, and it was as if he knew my mum! The way it flowed and captured her essence was amazing. I would definitely not hesitate in recommending working with David.

May 30, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you very much Karen for your kind words and lovely review. I was extremely honoured to conduct your mum's service, and to support you and your family. Your recommendation means the world to me. Sending lots of love to you all. David ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Remarkable and Special Celebrant

David is a truly remarkable and special celebrant.

He delivered the most beautiful, personal service and eulogy for our mum. Our family and friends who came to pay their respects have reached out to us to say they were touched by David’s service saying it was the most beautiful and perfect service.

From our very 1st interaction we felt completely at ease. He is the most compassionate, caring and kindest gentleman and provided us with regular contact throughout.

David, we cannot thank you enough and would highly recommend you.

You are a truly amazing gentleman and have such a special talent. Thank you for giving our mum the most perfect send off.

Kenny and Laura
xx

May 14, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Kenny and Laura, thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review. I am truly honoured to have been part of such a meaningful moment for your family. It means a great deal to hear that the service touched you and your loved ones, and that I could help celebrate Margaret’s life in a way that felt special and personal. Wishing you and your family comfort and peace, and thank you again for your wonderful recommendation. Much love, David

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David is truly one of life’s Angels

David is truly one of life’s Angels. His compassion and professionalism is second to none. The way he wrote and conducted Our dad’s eulogy was everything we could have hoped and more. The personal touch of the poem written by David for our wee daddy… truly touching. We cannot thank David enough and would highly recommend him. The amount of family and friends who came to pay their respects on the day of our dad’s funeral could not speak highly enough of David …. Commenting on the beautiful service and the way he came across. It truly was like he was part of our family. Thank you David x

April 23, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from David Somerville Independent Celebrant

Thank you so much, Audrey, for your touching words and lovely review. You made me feel so welcome when I came to visit you that I honestly left feeling part of the family. I was honoured to conduct your dad's service and to be there for you and your family. Your recommendation means everything to me. Sending lots of love to you and your family. David ♥️

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