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Arriving in style

13/12/2013

Thank you to Rev. Paul Sinclair from Motorcycle Funerals who sent us this blog post.

Journey to Beautiful Speyside

The prospect of chilling wind, heavy rain and at times hail showers did nothing to daunt Christianna Campbell. She rode 123 miles on the pillion seat of our Triumph hearse alongside her dad on his final ride from the Kingskettle Parish Church in Fife to the beautiful and very peaceful Delliefure Natural Burial Ground overlooking the River Spey near Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorms National Park.

Quick checks on how she was doing on the pillion along the way were invariably met with a big smile.

Christianna’s dad Alasdair rode an outfit himself. He was a member of the Federation of Sidecar Clubs so it was very fitting that he was carried in a sidecar and that Christianna, so often his passenger, travelled with him. For her it was an experience she will forever cherish, and to the many people who attended the funeral service to celebrate Alasdair’s life an everlasting and powerful symbol of the bond between a doting daughter and her dad.

Our rider took it as a great compliment when she said before leaving that she would be fine as she was used to riding with someone nice and rounded like him! His daughters now know what is expected of them at some point in the future, and the crossbar has been set very high indeed.

Nobody can deny that Christianna Campbell is a very worthy extraordinary recipient of the Motorcycle Funerals Ltd Rider Award, usually only presented to Funeral Directors on the third occasion they travel on the pillion with us.

Christianna rides alongside her father on the Triumph and sidecar hearse.

The coffin bearers in amongst the Birch tree wood.

Alasdair's father plays his last respects.

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Damage at Cothiemuir Hill after Scots Storm

12/12/2013

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There was widespread tree damage across the Forbes Estate in Aberdeenshire after the storm that hit Scotland last week.

A number of Scots Pines have blown over but fortunately none of the burial glades have been affected as these lie at the edge of the wood.

The clear up operation has begun and will take some time. With over six hundred years of experience though, the Forbes family are taking it in their stride.

www.castle-forbes.com
www.aberdeennaturalburials.co.uk

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Clear Up after Storm Damage at Hundy Mundy

6/12/2013

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Many thanks to Colin McCran and his son Lewis for getting to grips with the clearing up operation at Hundy Mundy so quickly. These photos came in today...

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Storm Damage at Hundy Mundy

5/12/2013

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Several large trees came down at our woodland burial ground in the Scottish Borders last night in gusts of 120mph. Mary and Colin the custodians will be up there clearing the debris over the next few days and later transplanting seedlings. It's sad to see but it's all part of woodland regeneration. One of the benefits of a natural burial ground is the long term view and sustainable approach to preserving the landscape. The fallen trees represent about 5% of the woodland and there were already young trees developing as part of on-going forestry management.

There is an interesting BBC article on the 'healing power of nature' and how woods recovered from the great 1987 storms.

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Cardiff memorial shelter's first anniversary!

5/12/2013

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December marks the first anniversary of our memorial shelter at Cardiff and The Vale’s Natural Burial Meadow.

The open-fronted, oak-framed building was completed last year by local builder Ceri Beer in time for the first memorial plaques to be mounted before Christmas. Being nestled in the walls, the plaques will eventually line all of the shelter's inside and make it a special place to return to.

Situated just inside the entrance of the meadow, the shelter has provided many with a focal point for their visit; to read the individual oak plaques commemorating those at rest in the meadow, as a space for holding funeral services, or just as somewhere for people to dash in and escape the rain.

We are delighted that so many families have made use of the shelter. It means that anyone wishing to hold a funeral ceremony at the meadow can now do so with a roof over their head!

We like people to make the space their own for the day; hang flowers from timber, pin photos to the walls and bring personal possessions to evoke happy memories and celebrate that person’s life. It’s somewhere to gather, raise a glass and spend time with friends and family..

The memorial shelter at Cardiff Natural Burial Meadow.

From inside the shelter looking out across the meadow.

Sitting under the Sycamores with a view out over the Vale of Glamorgan.

From inside the shelter, the oak beams frame the view out across the burial ground to the hills beyond. Looking north over The Vale of Glamorgan is the Garth mountain and St Fagans, south is the Bristol Channel while the view east includes the Millennium Stadium and Severn Bridges.

“Our calm and simple approach coupled with shelter's availability means families can make the occasion more personal“, says Annabelle Traherne, the burial ground’s owner and custodian. “Being able to meet families here to hear what they want and telling them what others have done before really helps to bring together a service and a resting place which reflects the personality of the person who has died.”

We welcome anyone who wishes to visit the burial to do so, or call us if you have any questions.

Have a look at Cardiff Natural Burial Meadow's website.
www.cardiffnaturalburials.co.uk
www.cardiffnaturalburials.co.uk/gallery

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Arriving in style

Damage at Cothiemuir Hill after Scots Storm

Clear Up after Storm Damage at Hundy Mundy

Storm Damage at Hundy Mundy

Cardiff memorial shelter's first anniversary!

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