Humanist weddings were made legal three years ago, but Falkirk district now has its own celebrant to carry out weddings in the local area.

Peter MacDonald has just been inducted as one of 12 new wedding celebrants.

The retired police officer got married in one of the first legal humanist ceremonies, in September 2005 at Callendar House.

Peter said: "I had already been to a humanist funeral of a relative.
"It struck me that it was nicer than any funeral I had been to before.

"When I was getting re-married, we didn't want a registry office or in a church, and a humanist ceremony seemed to reflect what I believed in.

"So many people commented on our ceremony and how much they had enjoyed it, and afterwards I thought, I'd like to do that!"

Peter went along for an interview, and in November 2006 he began conducting funerals.

In the first year humanist ceremonies were legalised, there were 80 weddings conducted by the Humanist Society in Scotland.

In 2006, that figure rose to 475, while last year there were 676.

Each year, the society applies to the General Registrar of Scotland for the opportunity to increase its number of wedding celebrants, and this year, Peter has been added to the list. He said: "The demand is definitely growing. The funerals come by word of mouth – people have been to a ceremony and remember how nice it has been."

Peter was formerly a constable with Central Scotland Police, and he said: "Being a police officer has definitely helped me with being able to deal with the public. All the skills I've picked up over the years I have been able to transfer."

He added: "I'm looking forward to being part of happy occasions.

"I didn't realise that funerals could be so emotionally challenging, even though I thought I had dealt with all aspects of emotion as a police officer.

"The thing about humanist ceremonies is that each one is completely individual to that couple. There are two specific lines which have to be said during the service, but everything else comes from the couple themselves.''