Funeral celebrant uses her own losses to help others

Samantha Pitt lost her mother, newborn son, and stepson in the space of eight years

A woman who lost three family members in separate tragedies has used her experience of loss to help others as a funeral celebrant.

After losing her mother, newborn son, and stepson in the space of eight years, Samantha Pitt was inspired to take on a role where she leads funeral services for others.

“I can stand in their shoes and appreciate the loss that they have been through,” Ms Pitt, 39, from Redditch, says of her work.

Ms Pitt, who says music has helped her cope with grief, is also releasing a cover of the song “Proud” on 2 May in memory of her relatives.

It was after walking away from a car crash unharmed that she chose the song because when she cuddled her dying mother she promised to make her proud.

Any money raised will go to three charities that work on issues connected to the family members she lost.

The track has also been recorded by Scottish singer Susan Boyle.

Ms Pitt's mother Margaret, right, was a type 1 diabetic and died in 2010

Ms Pitt’s mother Margaret, a type 1 diabetic, died at the Alexandra Hospital in 2010 after a nurse failed to monitor her blood sugar levels.

A coroner ruled in 2012 that the nurse had committed a gross failure and the nurse received a five-year caution order in 2014.

“I climbed into bed with her, wrapped her arms around me, and my parting words to her were that I would make her proud," Ms Pitt said of her last moments with her mother.

The following year, Ms Pitt’s son Alfie, who was just 11 days old, died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital from a neurometabolic disease.

“I hit absolute rock bottom. I was [then also] in an abusive relationship," she told BBC Midlands Today.

"If you can imagine yourself in the darkest place, that’s where I was."

Ms Pitt's newborn son Alfie died the year after she lost her mother

Ms Pitt’s partner was eventually jailed and after that she felt she had been given a second chance at happiness, but her stepson Ricky then took his own life in 2018.

After the car crash in 2022, when her vehicle flipped over, she decided she was meant to live to help others.

She initially started busking, before winning the annual Redditch Has Talent contest last year.

And in January this year, she decided to record Proud, which featured in the television show Britannia High in 2008.

'Most amazing feeling'

“I don’t have much confidence, so the fact that I was allowed to cover ‘Proud’ by the record company was, in itself, validation,” she said.

“When I heard it on the radio, I cried for three and a half hours - snot bubbles, the lot. It’s just the most amazing feeling.”

Proceeds from the single will go to Diabetes UK, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and suicide prevention charity Calm.

Ms Pitt has now worked as a funeral celebrant for six years and said she loves her job.

“To be able to celebrate a life is a privilege beyond words,” she said.