We recently had a catch up with celebrant Deborah Morgan Lewis of Morfa Civil Ceremonies who has been right in the centre of organising funerals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Deborah is based in Cardiff and has conducted natural burials at our natural burial grounds in both Cardiff and Usk. 
 
We wanted to discuss how she has been finding the changes that have had to be implemented and how this had impacted on funerals. What came across, when we discussed this, was that socially distanced funerals don't have to be impersonal; in fact, they can be much more intimate and rewarding.

This beautiful stone circle at Cothiemuir Hill Natural Burial Ground is an important part of Cothiemuir Wood. It can be found at the centre of the woodland burial ground is a protected area that has been historically important for thousands of years. It brings to mind so many questions as to why it's there, what it's use was and why these magnificent stones circles, placed across Britain and Ireland and beyond, were built. Many stone circles are linked to the summer solstice, but on closer inspection of the stones at Cothiemuir Hill it's more likely that this stone circle was linked to the moon and the lunar standstills. You can read more in this blog...

With current restrictions limiting the number of people that can attend funerals and burials, we know that some families are choosing to have a memorial service at a later date for all their family and friends. We are fortunate that we can offer families an intimate funeral at present, with plans to arrange a memorial service at the natural burial when larger gatherings are once again safe. For those who are thinking of arranging a memorial, we wanted to share with you our 'top 10 ideas for a natural burial memorial'.