i have been thinking and starting to do some research into green funerals-no expensive undertakers/ hard wood coffins, or anonymous crematoriums. I wonder if anybody has organised anything for family or thinking about one for themselves, and what your experience has been.
love
Nicky
Hello Nicky, yes I looked into this when I was first diagnosed stage 4. We have a green burial park here and they sent me a folder of info and offered me to come and talk to them, have a look round.
My Mum died last year and was buried at a traditional cemetery and it’s a peaceful, lovely place so now beginning to think about being buried there instead…I live locally…with a headstone…lots of my relatives are buried nearby too. The undertakers who looked after my Mum offered green coffins, willow coffins.
Belinda…x
HI India,
I have a green funeral planned for my self - willow coffin - green burial site. I don’t know if you need to have a funeral director - I have as I am not being buried close to where I live.
I chose this as I did not want a religious service or any fuss.
Also no headstone - just a tree planted and wild flower seeds scattered.
You can contact a funeral director as they will have all the info you will Need.
Kate
I went to a friends funeral last year, and she was cremated, but in a carboard coffin, with flowers from her garden. Totally appropiate for her, made me smile thro the tears.
sorry for butting in on your thread- am floating around a bit this evening
sam
Hi,
There is a website called Green Endings which can arrange Green funerals etc it, in London not sure where you are though. We have just buried my mum and looked at willow coffins but she had a beautiful sea grass coffin covered with wild flowers, it looked great.
Also the is something called The Woodland trust I think, few places like it around and you can have a tree planted and have very green service there.
Hope this helps
dawn x
Thanks for bringing this up. I’m very interested in doing something a bit more natural and earthy. I love the outdoors and I hate the idea of stiff formality and impersonal funeral directors and riding in a hearse. My christian faith is very important to me, so my funeral will be very centred around a church service, but I’d like to be in a more natural coffin, and in my dreams would like to be driven away in our big green camper van! Not sure about cremation or burial, but would love to be in the woods, either buried or sprinkled! I’ll have a look on the web.
I’d be v interested to know what other people have thought about doing.
Jacksy x
Jacksy, my friend had a church service, a beautiful willow coffin strewn with flowers, and she was buried at quite a new woodland burial site. It was a beautiful (though obviously very sad) occasion. I quite often go back there, as a few people I knew are buried there. I will probably end up there myself.
Jennyx
This was something I looked into several years ago, when my marriage broke up & I re-drafted my will. I know that I don’t want a church service as I’m not religious, and I like the idea of being buried in a woodland burial site without any markings.
I found this site that lists woodland sites by county - igreens.org.uk/uk_green_burial_by_county.htm
And a company that makes environmentally friendly coffins is ecoffins.co.uk
The Natural Death Centre is a charitable project that supports people who want to arrange cheap & environmentally friendly funerals
naturaldeath.org.uk/
Phili x
I have attended two funerals that were ‘lovely’ if thats not to an insensitive word.
One was a work colleague who had a willow coffin, it look so lovely and poems about nature and the natural cycle of life were read out and a selection of her favourite music was played. I decided that I want something similar when the time comes.
The other funeral was a humanist service and quite green. The only car carried the coffin of my husbands cousin. Her husband and son came down to the crematorium in a friends car. There was a single rose on the coffin.
There were no hymns or readings there was no minister ( Or if it was a minister she certainly didn’t give that impression). There was no committing the body to Christ just thanks given for a life well spent. We were told a wonderful story of the life of the lady and the things she had achieved and testomonies came from friends. I am religious but I have to say I was very impressed with the funeral.
I was told that the funeral directors can arrange a humanist funeral so I guess they can advise on a green funeral.
I hope you can arrange what you want we at least deserve that much.
Hi again
I forgot to add that I was in the Millenum Wooods near Ashborne Derbyshire, there were row apon row of trees planted in memory of folks, it was a beautiful sight even though some of the plaques made sad reading. Many had miniture gardens at the base of the tree. I decided that is what I want instead of a headstone.
I hope you dont mind me posting here, I wanted to tell you about my sister in law’s green funeral. It was just beautiful (I cant really think of any other way to put it sorry) in so many ways. Rather than that awful dread that you feel when you first see a coffin, the sight of hers was uplifting - it was made of bamboo, simple and perfect for her. I hope its not being too graphic if I say that the place in the ground had been lined with ferns and it too looked just right, not dark and frightening, but soft and appropriate somehow.
The service was lovely (non religious) and was led by a family friend. There were no hymns, but those who wanted to, paid tribute to her life. Her coffin and grave were strewn with garden flowers, and the funeral directors had brought baskets of rose petals to scatter too.
My overriding memory is from the end of her funeral - watching all the children sitting round her grave blowing bubbles. If a funeral could ever be lovely, this was, and so many of us came away saying this was what we wanted.
This was where Louise found what was right for her: nativewoodland.eu/
Thanks for the website info whistledown.
It does sounds a beautiful funeral.
I think its ok to say such things as beautiful and lovely, why should or endings be awful? I want a celebration of my life. I am very bubbly and I have made it clear no black, I want words to make people smile and songs that make life feel like a permanent summer.
Carol
Thanks for those websites Phili and Whistledown - will definitely bookmark them for future reading.
Jacquie