Our History
We have a small network of celebrants who help couples and families craft ceremonies.
We launched in 2016 and have been growing our influence ever since.
Meet the Team
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Barbara Chalmers
CELEBRANT AND CO-FOUNDER
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James Oakley
CELEBRANT AND STEERING COMMITTEE
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Yva McKerlich
CELEBRANT AND STEERING COMMITTEE
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Jude Williams
CELEBRANT AND STEERING COMMITTEE
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Janice Marshall
WEDDING CELEBRANT
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Jules aka Jewel of Scotland
WEDDING CELEBRANT
Humanist charity, registered in Scotland SC046655
Promoting small acts
of human kindness since 2016
Our Charitable Purpose
We are a Humanist charity. We have a Constitution.
Everything we do is guided by our natural humanist curiosity and kindness.
1) The advancement of the philosophical belief and the promotion of the values of Humanism
We understand Humanism as an ethical life stance and our constitution describes it using these seven key points;
• Think for ourselves about what is right and wrong, based on reason, fairness and respect for others
• Recognise the dignity of individuals
• Respect and promote freedom, democracy and human rights
• Work together for the common good
• Celebrate human achievement, progress and potential
• Find meaning, beauty, and joy in the one life we have, without the need for an afterlife
• Use empathy and compassion to make the world a better place for everyone
We feel passionately that everyone deserves a dignified ceremony.
Ceremony matters in our society. It’s part of what it is to be human to invite others to share with our life’s key life milestones; birth, marriage, death. We help craft meaningful ceremonies that feel right. We train people to lead their own and others' ceremonies. We like the idea that weddings and funerals are truly in touch with people and we want our rituals to be as rich, meaningful and personal as they can. We believe that everyone deserves to have their voice heard.
2) The relief of those in need.
We want to help others. We want to promote positive attitudes to living, ageing and dying; all part of the natural cycle of life. We want to host and share and support events that encourage open conversations about life and death decisions.
We have worked with charities A Gift of Wedding and Caledonia Funeral Aid, providing free ceremonies for those most in need.
One of our projects is a film that celebrates 30 years of Herstory. Watch the film.
Our Reach
On average, a celebrant will perform half a dozen weddings and funerals in a year - that's over 100 ceremonies among our celebrants. 100 individuals - the couples - and 400 family members are facilitated to co-create their ceremonies. All these individuals and families feel the direct benefit and are supported to avoid poverty year on year. And with an average of 100 witnesses at a ceremony, we are modelling change to around 11,000 people every single year. Not bad for a tiny charity with a big vision.
See our annual reports
Our Trustees
Jane Alcorn, Chair
Jane has been Chair of A Quiet Revolution since its launch. She has worked across local authorities and the independent sector for 30 years in social work, education and health services for children, young people and their families.
In 2015 Jane transitioned into self-employment, working across child and adult care with a particular interest in learning and development. She continues to do this work at present. In 2018, Jane decided to embark on a new venture when she moved to the far north of Scotland to run a small Bed and Breakfast with her husband.
Rikki McKerlich, Treasurer
Rikki is a dedicated and experienced champion for children's welfare. He's spent the past 17 years working both on the frontlines as a social worker and in leadership as a manager, always striving to empower individuals and families.
Rikki has deep expertise in supporting vulnerable young people, honed through his years in the field and also working as a qualified Practice Educator. Outside of work, Rikki enjoys a diverse range of pursuits, including fitness, meditation, reading, and even beekeeping! He's also a proud cat dad to two adorable ragdolls. Rikki is also an enthusiastic (albeit not always successful) gardener.
Murdoch Rodgers, Secretary
Murdoch Rodgers is a retired television producer and journalist. During his career in television, he worked for the BBC on award-winning films (BAFTA, Royal Television Society, Foreign Press Assoc, British Journalism Awards) including investigations into the care industry and historical child abuse. He believes he was fortunate to have worked with some great people who shared his passion for using the medium to expose injustice and the conceit of the powerful.
He’s a former Children’s Panel Member and remains committed to the principle that everyone should enjoy the right to be treated with dignity and respect … in life and death.
David Overend, Trustee
David is a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh, where he is deputy director of the MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with Edinburgh Futures Institute. he has a background in theatre directing and research and has published several books on contemporary performance.
David has previous experience serving on boards and committees in the arts and education sectors.
David moved to Glasgow as an undergraduate student in 2000 and has lived here ever since, recently moving to Lenzie. He has a longstanding interest and affinity with humanist philosophy and was married in a humanist ceremony in 2015.
Brenda Bradley, Trustee
Brenda has lots of empathy, she is a qualified CBT therapist and loves to help people.
In the past Brenda has used two AQR celebrants to mark life events, for her wedding and for the funeral of her mother. She has always found the approach of a celebrant and the way we celebrate people as something that can be vital to create a meaningful and personal ceremony. This approach sits close to her heart.
She describes herself as an animal lover and a science fiction fan! She loves the wind and the rain (but not at the same time) and enjoys taking part in quizzes and taking photos of animals, landscapes and the natural environment.
Fiona Maxwell, Trustee
Fiona has experience in a variety of fields including healthcare, adult education and the voluntary sector. For the last six years she has worked in the third sector as the Scottish representative for a charity which supports family health and wellbeing, connectedness and bonding through shared reading.
Fiona has first-hand experience of the power of shared reading, sharing stories with her grandson in Sweden online.
Fiona is an outdoors enthusiast and is interested in how being in nature can support good mental and physical well being.
Our Founders
In 2015 Barbara Chalmers (left) and Erin Scrutton (right) founded A Quiet Revolution. The idea was to bring more humanity, creativity and meaning to life and its major milestones.
BARBARA CHALMERS led A Quiet Revolution from 2016 to 2023. She has a double-award winning Masters is Design Innovation/Service Design from Glasgow School of Art. She has decades of experience working in and consulting for arts organisations and for local and national government. A place-maker, service designer and change agent, her human-centred consultancy is Only Human Ltd. She innovated Final Fling, the world’s first platform for end-of-life planning in 2010 and secured an international licensing deal for the brand. She ran the multi-award winning platform as a free-to-use service for a decade. She is a qualified Funeral Director and Humanist Celebrant. She has trained and developed A Quiet Revolution’s network of Affiliate Celebrants. Barbara is a Director of Caledonia Funeral Aid, Scotland’s only not-for-profit funeral director service. Barbara is also a Trustee on the Boards of DGUnlimited, South-west Scotland’s arts chamber and Outpost Arts in Langholm, delivering creative wellbeing projects in the south of Scotland.
ERIN SCRUTTON is co-Founder of A Quiet Revolution. A visual artist, she spent 30 years teaching samba to women across Scotland and the UK, transforming lives through creativity, confidence building and social connection. As a performer, she has played with Jools Holland, Horse and performed on 2 singles with the Pet Shop Boys. She has seeded and taught women’s bands across Scotland: SheBoom in Glasgow; Commotion in Edinburgh; Impact in Fife; Sum Wummin Drummin in Irvine; Samba Sisters in Dumfries. She has led workshops in corporate and community settings supporting leadership, growth and mental health. Erin has had a therapeutic practice, holding qualifications in body work and kinesiology.
See more about the team here.