One question that we get asked by our families is, 'can we bring the dog to the funeral? For those who want their furry family members at the funeral we feel that this should be allowed which is why all of our natural burial grounds are pet friendly, so our answer to this is, ‘Yes of course’. 

Carbon is everywhere, it’s in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, in the fuel we use in the products we buy and, yes, we’re made up of carbon too. Life is based upon the element carbon. The problem is that we have extracted a whole lot of carbon from the ground, in terms of coal, oil and gas, and by using the energy stored up in the carbon compounds they contain, we have released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, unbalancing the equilibrium that previously existed. ​

We know sometimes choosing a memorial tree, whether it's for a natural burial ground or at your own home can be difficult. There are so many beautiful trees to choose from. If you are not sure what tree to choose for your tree planting the Celtic Tree Calendar may help bring some inspiration, especially if there is a special date you wish to remember.

For many having a memorial is an important part of remembering someone special. It’s a place that you can visit and take a moment to remember and reflect. While we offer simple natural memorials in the memorial frames and shelters at our natural burial grounds, we understand some families also like to have something a bit closer to home. If you have decided that you would like to do something special at home or in a place you shared, or maybe even that would like plant a tree or a favourite flower in your garden in memory of someone special this may be something you would like to commemorate with your own personal memorial plaque. UK Memorials have very kindly written a blog for us about the different type of natural memorials families may wish to use for their own personal memorials away from the natural burial ground. 

As many of the families that visit our natural burial grounds know we love to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever we can. This includes encouraging locally sourced tributes for our natural burial grounds and we love seeing foraged and handmade floral tributes. Sarah, at our natural burial ground in Pembrokeshire, has made a wreath from foliage that she has foraged with her son Jesse. She wanted to share this with us and how she found the experience of 'making your own wreath'.   

​We recently heard about a very special book on woman's hour which helps families to talk about death in an open way with children. ‘The Fox: A Circle of Life Story’, written by Isabel Thomas and illustrated by Daniel Egnéus, helps to answer a really big question that many children will ask at some point, ’what happens when we die?'  

​The book is not linked to religion or after death beliefs but instead explains the concept of death itself, - “Fox: A Circle of Life Story answers the big scientific question: What happens when we die?” - Bloomsbury.