By Jake Rusby
While funerals are supposed to mark the end of someone’s journey on Earth, for Rachael Meyer they have helped turn the page onto a new chapter of her life.
Since 2018, Rachael has been writing and conducting creative funerals as a humanist celebrant, helping couples celebrate their new beginnings together, and families say goodbye to their loved ones.
It was her work with the latter that sparked her decision to make the move to North Shields, a place that, until she relocated, she and husband Simon had barely seen.
She says: “Hearing and writing about so many incredible life stories has really made me think about life – it is such a precious, short time we have here and we need to make the most of it.
“Our daughter Georgia has been living in Newcastle for the last three years, and we came up to visit her from Harrogate and fell in love with the city.
“We would often come with our dog and would head over to Tynemouth for the beaches. They blew us away.
“One day some friends offered to meet us at the Fish Quay, and we had no idea where that was!
“We went down there and instantly knew it was where we wanted to be: The old warehouse buildings, the bars and restaurants; we loved the whole industrial feel of it.
“We wanted a new adventure and this seemed like the perfect place.”
Their decision to relocate in July of this year was so spontaneous, they hadn’t even been into North Shields town centre before the move.
Now, with their feet now firmly under the table in Tyneside, they are slowly exploring the town and finding more parts of it to fall in love with.
And Rachael credits this magazine – along with its social media pages – with helping her and Simon take this momentous step in their life journey together.
It’s a step she doesn’t regret taking:
“My mum died at the end of 2023 and that was our last connection to where we lived in Harrogate. Both of our kids had left home and we wanted a change – this was our chance and we took it.
“After we found the house on the Fish Quay I followed the ‘I Love North Shields’ Instagram account and saw all of the amazing stuff that was going on, and that made us want to move here even more.
“We wanted a new adventure and this seemed like the perfect place because of its warm and friendly community and energy. Everyone is so welcoming. There is so much positivity and pride in the old and the new.
“The music, art, hospitality and business opportunities are amazing; the place is steeped in history; and of course, we love the incredible views, sunrises, dog friendly beaches and proximity to the city.
“I’m loving meeting couples and local wedding venues in the town, too! We are so happy we made the move and are looking forward to falling even more in love with North Shields.”
