Professional Standards & Privacy

Martin Stone is a funeral celebrant and a member of the Academy of Professional Celebrants (APC).

The Academy of Professional Celebrants is a professional organisation that supports celebrants through training, guidance and ongoing development. Membership reflects a commitment to maintaining high standards of professionalism, compassion and care when working with bereaved families.

In my work I follow the principles outlined in the Funeral Celebrant Charter, which describes the expectations of a professional funeral celebrant.

These include:

• Acting with professionalism, integrity and respect
• Listening carefully to families and their wishes
• Creating personalised ceremonies that reflect the life of the person who has died
• Working calmly and sensitively with those who are grieving
• Working respectfully with funeral directors, crematorium staff and other professionals involved in the service
• Providing families with the opportunity to review the ceremony before the day where appropriate

I also support the principles outlined in the Funeral Celebrant Accord, which emphasises the role of the funeral celebrant in creating and leading personal, respectful and accurate funeral ceremonies.

The work of a funeral celebrant is to serve the bereaved and their community by helping create a ceremony that reflects the life, values and beliefs of the person who has died while supporting those who gather to remember them.

Eternal Rest Ltd provides funeral celebrant services led by Martin Stone.

Respect for privacy and confidentiality is central to the work carried out with families at a sensitive time. The personal stories and information shared with me are always treated with care and discretion.

This policy explains how personal information is collected, used and safeguarded.Eternal Rest Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and complies with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Eternal Rest Ltd Company Number: 15612473

Registered Office: 82 Saltergate Chesterfield S40 1LG  United Kingdom

Eternal Rest Ltd acts as the data controller for personal information provided to us.

In order to provide funeral celebrant services, we may collect and process the following information:

 • Names and contact details such as phone numbers and email addresses

 • Information about the person who has died

 • Details shared by family members about the life, relationships and character of the deceased

 • Information required for arranging and conducting funeral services

 • Information submitted through the website contact form

 • Communications sent to us by email, telephone or other means

Some of the information shared with us may be personal or sensitive in nature. It is always treated with care and respect.

Personal information may be used for the following purposes:

 • Responding to enquiries • Arranging and conducting funeral ceremonies

 • Preparing funeral service scripts or written tributes

 • Communicating with families, funeral directors and crematoria where necessary

 • Maintaining necessary business records and accounts

 • Improving the functionality of the website.

Under UK GDPR the lawful bases relied upon for processing personal information include:

 • Legitimate interests in order to provide funeral celebrant services requested by families

 • Contractual necessity where services have been agreed

 • Legal obligations where information must be retained for accounting or regulatory purposes

Sensitive personal information is used only where necessary for the preparation and delivery of funeral services.

Personal information will only be shared where necessary to provide services. This may include sharing information with:

 • Funeral directors

 • Crematoria or cemeteries

 • Other celebrants assisting in the service where appropriate

Personal information is never sold or used for unrelated marketing purposes.

Eternal Rest Ltd takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

Information may be stored securely in password-protected digital systems, secure email communications or secure paper records where required.

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to provide funeral celebrant services and to meet legal or accounting obligations.

Contact details and correspondence shared in arranging a funeral are normally deleted once the service has taken place and the work has been completed.

A limited record of the funeral director’s confirmation of services may be retained for accounting and business record purposes. These records are normally kept for up to seven years before being securely deleted.

Under UKdata protection law individuals have the right to:

 • request access to their personal information

 • request correction of inaccurate information

 • request deletion of personal data where appropriate

 • object to the processing of their data in certain circumstances

 • lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If you are unhappy with how personal information has been handled you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Website: https://ico.org.uk

This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or business practices.  Effective date: 10th March 2026.