As families increasingly opt for non-religious ceremonies for special events, one woman has turned a hobby into a business.

Claire Berry has launched a business as a celebrant who organises and holds baby-naming and other ceremonies – and has had a rush of interest.

“Business has been encouraging since I launched my business – mainly on the basis that most people have never heard of such an idea!” said Claire, who is 39 and lives in Lancing with her husband and three children aged 15, 11 and two.

Her job as celebrant involves designing, planning and holding naming ceremonies for families, and taking part in the day. “Each ceremony is personalised for the parents and child,” said Claire, a former teacher. “They choose everything, including readings and vows, and it can be as formal or as informal as the family wants – all the decisions are down to the parents. The families who choose this kind of ceremony are just ordinary people who want a celebration of the arrival of a child or the naming of their child.”

Ceremonies can include vows, pledges of love or support, the formal bestowing of a name on a child, readings, music and dancing, and remembrance. Other options include balloon launches, a sand ceremony, which involves each member of the family pouring their own coloured sand into a jar to make a keepsake of the day and a candle-light ceremony, where children light their own candles from their parents’ one to acknowledge that the love of their children brings light to their parents’ lives.

“These ceremonies are becoming increasingly popular as the number of blended families rises,” said Claire. “Naming ceremonies can be important here, as they mark the moment when everyone in the family has a shared name.”

Claire held her first baby-naming ceremony when her eldest daughter was born in 1999 and since then has been involved in every family Christening and birthday celebration.

“I’d never heard of this kind of ceremony as a business until a friend came to visit from Australia and told me it was big business out there,” said Claire, who works full time as a project manager in Worthing. “When I heard that, it was an obvious choice for me as I love interacting with people, especially children, and I have excellent planning and presentation skills.” For details, visit brightonbabynaming.weebly.com