The Fuze Foundation is a not for profit, Humanist organisation established in 2012 by Anne Widdop. In this post Anne (pictured below) explains what drove her to establish the organisation, her passion for change and what it has achieved.
In 2009 I conducted my mothers funeral in conjunction with a minister in the Church of Scotland, in the town I was born in. My mother was a religious person and after she died, we found a note to us, her remaining kids, telling us how much she loved us all and noting at the end which hymns she wanted at her funeral and asking us to sing loud. Even thinking about that note is bringing tears to my eyes. Mum was one of the genuinely kindest people you could meet. She was everyone’s mum, full of care and never wanted anything to be a bother. In those days funerals were led by faith leaders. You didn’t have much choice. It was a religious ceremony or nothing. No one had ever heard of Humanist ceremonies, including me.
So, I set out to write and deliver the eulogy, with a little bit of help from a very accommodating minister. It is one of the hardest things I have done in my life, but my grief was tempered by a determination that a little more of my mums personality and her story would be told at the funeral. Having lost my sister, brother and dad in tragic circumstances in previous years, I was determined that mums funeral would not just be another religious ceremony with her mentioned in passing, almost as an afterthought.
I was brought up in the church, but decided in my teens that I am an atheist. I know many good and honest people of faith and respect them, but it’s not for me. I kind of have a problem with the amount of war and suffering waged for thousands of years in the name of religion, and it still goes on.
I initially trained with and was on the board of Trustees of The Humanist Society in Scotland. At first I thought, this is great, an organisation that reflects how I feel. But the problem was that there was a dogma in that organisation as well. Many of their celebrants wouldn’t work with people of faith and there was a certain animosity towards other beliefs (not from everyone), and that’s just not me. I just didn’t feel this was the right place for me, surely there is another way for a Humanist?
I conducted mums funeral in a church in conjunction with a minister and I saw nothing wrong with that. I didn’t feel my atheism was compromised. Many people are like me and have had some sort of religious background, and whilst they may not themselves be religious, when it comes to ceremonies, they want to acknowledge the beliefs of others and be inclusive.
The Fuze Foundation has 5 key purposes – click the image above to learn more
This is what inspired me to form the Fuze Foundation which is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting Humanist values, tackling funeral poverty, and supporting meaningful change across Scotland. Our mission is to ensure everyone has access to personalised, dignified ceremonies, regardless of financial means.
Over the years we’ve proudly delivered hundreds of free funeral and marriage ceremonies for those in need, while donating tens of thousands of pounds to a wide range of Scottish charities, including CHAS, SAMH, Alzheimer Scotland, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Scottish Cot Death Trust, Beatson Cancer Charity and MND Scotland.
All Fuze Ceremonies Celebrants are members of the Foundation, upholding our core values of compassion, equality, and inclusivity. We also oversee the authorisation of our Marriage Officers under the Marriage (Scotland) Act, enabling us to provide legal Humanist marriages across Scotland. Every ceremony we conduct contributes to our wider mission, whether by helping grieving families, promoting equality and diversity, or supporting life-saving charity work.
By choosing The Fuze Foundation, you’re supporting more than a ceremony, you’re helping to make a difference.
Next steps
Use this link HERE to make a donation to support our work at the Foundation.
About the Author
Anne Widdop established The Fuze Foundation in 2012 and remains active in the promotion of the organisation. She is a Humanist and strongly believes in equality, diversity and freedom of expression. Although she is an atheist, she believes everyone has the right to choose their own beliefs and as a society we need to learn to live with and respect other people’s choices
