Rev. Jean Francis (2012), Dr Dawn Gibbins MBE (2014) and Rev. Nicole van Zomeren (2015) together with teacher and artist Amanda Vesty and independent funeral director Jo Nicholls have recently launched Last Wishes, Live Your Legacy Ltd.
The seeds of this social business were planted thanks to a touchstone call Jean held about “preplanning your funeral” in 2016. Nicole attended and, inspired by Jean, followed up and the two met a few times over the following months around end-of-life events. Dawn, equally inspired by Jean, arranged a meeting for the three of them in a London Tea Room where ideas of a collaboration began to grow. Our trilogy, understanding the power of supporting each other held a Last Wishes event in September 2019 that was the incubation point to turn this dream into reality.
Nine months later, we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowing that as sad and shocking as this current time is, the information and support we seek to offer is needed now more than ever. Together with Amanda and Jo, the five of us meet at least weekly on zoom, logging in from Cheshire, Horsham and Australia to birth this business into the world.
Ministry in Action
What we have created is our ministry in action. Along with our living legacy. We bring in our spiritual counselling and supervision skills, together with offerings for individuals and the community. We provide free circles in the form of our Last Wishes Tea Rooms, group supervision, community, as well as fresh and relevant content and information about end-of-life matters with a keen focus on the environmental impact of our choices.
Additionally, we have membership services, books and other resources including educational courses, one-to-one Spiritual Counselling, support, supervision and corporate consultations. Finally, we take donations to support our work and the community projects we provide and also support.
We are using the skills of soulful leadership, guiding and holding that we learnt through our OneSpirit training. Likewise, we dedicate time for an invocation and closing at each of our business meetings, as well as a blessing at the beginning and end of each Tea Room.
It is refreshing and motivating to use these OneSpirit skills in business and nourishing to be building such a venture as a team of five likeminded minded women. As we work in unity, harmony and balance, each weaving in our unique strengths and skills to complement each other and the work we do.
About Us
Last Wishes – Live Your Legacy Ltd is a social business raising profits to go back into the community.
Our projects strive to educate and support, as well as create and promote opportunities for life-changing conversations and awareness around end-of-life.
<“>We provide essential tools to enable you to thrive by sharing relevant, up-to-date information and experiences to show how people around the globe are engaging with their last wishes and living their legacy.
Mission
We are on a mission to educate, inspire and empower millions to make their last wishes and live their legacy.
Our aim is to dispel assumptions and shame around death and dying and to educate people about the options available to them in relation to end-of-life planning and creating an earth-friendly funeral.
We hope to put an end to the fear surrounding death/departure, thus promoting wellbeing and peace of mind.
Finally, as we offer increased support for the community as a whole, we are creating a greater awareness of ethical funeral directors, funeral celebrants and related services. To ease people’s suffering around such sensitive times of life.
Vision
Our vision is to create support networks and programmes that will inspire people to live happy and die happy, to honour grief, and empower them to make end-of-life choices and to live their legacy.
Invitation
Thank you for taking the time to read this far, if you are at all drawn to, or interested in what we have shared, please check out our site or join us at a Last Wishes Tea Room. https://lastwishes.world/our-events/
We are very open to collaborations with any and all OneSpirit ministers, this may be of particular interest to those who are also spiritual counsellors, funeral celebrants, supervisors and other end-of-life guardians from Threshold choirs to death doula’s, soul midwifes or grief counsellors etc .
We are here to spread the word and work together to serve the many who could be helped through this kind of work, service and offering to the world.
Blessings and warmest wishes to you and your loved ones, especially during these extraordinarily difficult times, may you be safe, well and feeling loved.
The three ministers have each shared on our blog, ‘How I Serve During Lockdown’, and you can find each of their reflections here >>
Find us here: www.lastwishes.world
Email: info@liveyourlegacy.co.uk