Celebration of Life — Richard Chance | London Rowing Club, Putney Embankment
On 27th May 2026, I had the privilege of providing funeral live streaming and AV support for the celebration of life of Richard Chance — held at the London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment, right on the banks of the Thames in South West London.
Over 660 devices connected from 27 countries and 48 regions around the world. It was one of the most globally connected services I have ever streamed — and one of the most moving.
The Setting — London Rowing Club, Putney Embankment
The London Rowing Club sits right on the water at Putney Embankment, looking out across the Thames. It is a beautiful, distinctly London venue — the kind of place that feels entirely itself, unpretentious and full of character, with the river as a constant presence outside the windows.
On the day of Richard's celebration, the tide was coming in. Beyond the glass, London was getting on with its afternoon — walkers, rowers, cyclists, the city in motion — entirely unaware that the room behind them was full of people celebrating an extraordinary life. That contrast — the ordinary world continuing outside while something deeply personal and significant happened within — gave the day a particular quality that I have rarely felt so strongly anywhere.
It was exactly the kind of venue Richard's family had chosen for a reason. And it showed.
Arriving Four Hours Early — Streaming and AV Setup
My brief for the day covered two distinct elements: funeral live streaming for the worldwide audience, and AV support for the service itself — supporting the musician, and helping the family connect their visuals to the venue's PA and screen system.
I arrived four hours before the service began.
That time was essential. Setting up the live stream — cameras, microphones, bonded internet connections — alongside the AV support for a live musician and a family's own tribute visuals requires careful, unhurried preparation. By the time guests began to arrive, everything was in place, tested and running. The family had nothing technical to think about. They could focus entirely on Richard.
The streaming setup:
Multi-camera coverage of the room — wide angle capturing the full space and the Thames through the windows, close camera for the minister, speakers, musicians and singers
Dedicated microphones at the speaking position, on the minister, and for the musician
Four bonded 4G/5G internet connections running simultaneously — combining multiple networks for a stable broadcast to 27 countries
The AV support:
Sound support for the live musician
Connecting the family's tribute visuals and photographs to the venue screen and PA system
Ensuring everything integrated cleanly so that the service ran without any technical interruption
For more on how celebration of life AV support works alongside streaming, my celebration of life services page explains the full range of what I can provide.
The Service — Tributes, Music, Singing and a Message from Everest
The celebration was led by a minister and shaped by the people who had known Richard — family members and close friends stepping forward to share readings, personal tributes, music and singing throughout. It was the kind of service that builds a portrait of someone through the accumulation of specific, particular memories — the details that only the people closest to someone ever know.
And then came the moment that made this service unlike any other I have covered.
One of Richard's closest friends could not be there. He was not in London, not in the UK, not even reachable by phone in the usual sense. He was on the summit of Mount Everest.
He had climbed it for Richard. Richard had known he was going to attempt the climb, and even after Richard's passing, he had told his friend to go ahead — to still do it. So he did. And from the summit, he sent a personal message to the celebration below.
The room heard his voice from the top of the world. From 8,849 metres above sea level, from the highest point on earth, Richard's friend paid tribute to the man who had sent him there.
I have streamed over 2,500 funerals and celebrations of life across the UK. I have never had a moment quite like that one.
664 Devices logged in over 27 Countries — The Global Reach of Richard's Life
The live stream data tells its own story about the kind of man Richard was and the reach of his life across the world.
Top locations by viewers:
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, Harare — 147
🇬🇧 United Kingdom, England — 106
🇿🇦 GP-ZA — 94
🇿🇦 KZN-ZA — 69
🇿🇦 South Africa, iTjhingalanga-Kapa — 63
🇬🇧 United Kingdom (unknown state) — 24
🏴 United Kingdom, Scotland — 23
🇿🇲 Zambia, Lusaka — 13
🇲🇦 Morocco, Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer — 9
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, Mashonaland West — 9
🇪🇸 Spain, Catalunya — 7
🇦🇺 Australia, Western Australia — 7
🇭🇷 Croatia, Grad Zagreb — 5
🇧🇪 Belgium, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest — 5
🇦🇺 Australia, Queensland — 5
🇲🇼 Malawi, Central Region — 4
🇺🇸 United States, California — 4
🇬🇷 Greece, Attikí — 4
🇲🇺 Mauritius, Port Louis — 4
🏴 United Kingdom, Wales — 4
🇺🇸 United States (unknown state) — 3
🇿🇦 South Africa, Eastern Cape — 3
🇺🇸 United States, Georgia — 3
🇮🇪 Ireland, Laighin — 3
🇬🇮 Gibraltar (unknown state) — 2
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands (unknown state) — 2
🇲🇺 Mauritius (unknown state) — 2
🇳🇵 Nepal (unknown state) — 2
🇳🇴 Norway, Oslo — 2
🇵🇹 Portugal, Lisboa — 2
🇩🇰 Denmark, Hovedstaden — 2
🇫🇷 NAQ-FR — 2
🇺🇸 United States, North Carolina — 2
🇫🇷 OCC-FR — 2
🇺🇸 United States, Texas — 2
🇿🇦 South Africa (unknown state) — 1
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe (unknown state) — 1
🇹🇿 Tanzania, Dar es Salaam — 1
🇵🇹 Portugal, Braga — 1
🇮🇸 Iceland, Höfuðborgarsvæði utan Reykjavíkur — 1
🇧🇭 Bahrain, Al Manāmah — 1
🇰🇪 Kenya, Nairobi City — 1
🇲🇹 Malta, Sliema — 1
🇺🇸 United States, District of Columbia — 1
🇲🇺 Mauritius, Flacq — 1
🇧🇼 Botswana, Gaborone — 1
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, Manicaland — 1
🇲🇿 Mozambique, Maputo — 1
🇺🇸 United States, New York — 1
🇮🇩 PT-ID — 1
🇨🇱 Chile, Región Metropolitana de Santiago — 1
🇲🇺 Mauritius, Rivière du Rempart — 1
🇲🇼 Malawi, Chakumwera — 1
🇦🇺 Australia, South Australia — 1
🇳🇿 New Zealand, Wellington — 1
Plus viewers in Malawi, Greece, Mauritius, Wales, Ireland, Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands, Nepal, Norway, Portugal, Denmark, Iceland, Bahrain, Kenya, Malta, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, Chile, New Zealand, and across the United States.
Total: 27 countries. 48 regions. Hundreds of people, all present for Richard.
Zimbabwe was the single largest location — 147 viewers in Harare alone. Whatever roots Richard had there, the response was extraordinary. The depth of connection between Richard and southern Africa is written into that data as clearly as anything could be.
Smiling, Laughter and Tears
A celebration of life is different from a funeral in one important way: the explicit intention is to celebrate. And this one did that completely.
There were tears — of course there were. But there was also laughter. Genuine, full, fond laughter at stories about Richard that only the people in that room could tell. There were smiles throughout. There was music and singing, voices filling the room on the bank of the Thames while the world outside carried on.
That is what Richard's family asked for. That is what they got.
For those watching from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Australia, the United States and all the other countries in between — the stream gave them exactly that. Not a formal, sombre service viewed from a distance, but a genuine celebration, shared in real time, as it happened.
Celebrations of Life and Memorial Services — Streaming and AV Across London
Celebrations of Life and Memorial Services Across London and Putney
The London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment is one of a number of distinctive London venues where I have provided live streaming, photography and AV support for celebrations of life — alongside Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park, Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing, and others across the capital.
These occasions have their own particular requirements — often more complex technically than a standard crematorium service, with live musicians, tribute films, multiple speakers and a venue that wasn't designed primarily for events of this kind. Having someone who can manage the streaming and the AV together, as a single coordinated service, makes an enormous difference on the day.
If you are planning a celebration of life in London and would like to discuss live streaming, AV support, videography, photography or a tribute film, I would be honoured to help.
Call or text me on 07772 509101 — available seven days a week, 9am to 10pm — or get in touch online.
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