Celebration of Life at the London Rowing Club, Putney

Richard’s celebration of life was held at the London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment, looking out over the Thames.

I provided the funeral live streaming and the AV support in the room — cameras, microphones, support for the live musician, and the family’s photographs on the club’s screen. People sitting by the river and people on the other side of the world were watching the same afternoon.

664 devices joined from 27 countries.

That is what a celebration of life can be when the person’s life was larger than one postcode. The room in Putney was full. The rest of Richard’s story was in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia, the United States, Kenya, New Zealand and across Europe.

Celebration of Life Services
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Funeral AV Support

The London Rowing Club

The club sits on the Embankment. It is a hall on the water, not a church: a wide room, windows onto the Thames, a stage end for speakers and music. It had to work as a room people were sitting in, and as a stream for everyone who could not get to Putney.

I arrived four hours early as a venue like this needs the cameras placed correctly, the sound checked with a live musician, the family’s photographs and tribute film running through the club PA and screen, and the stream tested on more than one network before anyone important walks in.

For this Funeral broadcast I set up two cameras and three dedicated microphones. Bonded 4G/5G ran it, so the stream did not depend on the venue Wi-Fi. In the room I stayed with the AV throughout — the musician, the tributes, the photographs — so the family were not managing a laptop on the day.

The Service

There were tributes, music and singing. One of the messages came from a friend on Everest, sent from 8,849 metres up, after he had climbed it for Richard. That is the kind of moment a celebration of life can hold. It is also the kind of moment that is wasted if the people watching in another country cannot hear it.

The afternoon moved between laughter and tears. The stream had to carry both. A single camera at the back of the room would have given you the hall. It would not have given you the speakers, the musician, or the feeling of the river through the windows.

Who Watched

664 devices logged in from 27 countries, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Ireland, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and the UK.

Some people watched live. Others used the same viewing link afterwards. There is no charge for guests to watch, and the recording is there for anyone in a different time zone.

This is why families book a proper stream for a celebration of life. The people in the room matter. So do the people who knew Richard well and could not stand on Putney Embankment that afternoon.

Celebrations of Life in London

I cover memorials and celebrations of life across London — clubs, halls, churches, riverside rooms and private venues. Funeral Streaming, AV, photography and videography can be booked together or on their own.

Funeral live streaming starts from £650. The wider celebration-of-life page is here: Celebration of Life Services

Call or text 07772 509101, or use the contact page.