​It's 'World Wildlife Day', and the theme this year is something we are very passionate about, 'Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’.

We understand how important it is we find sustainable solutions because the human population has grown exponentially, more than our planet can sustain if we continue in the manner we are accustomed to. There are sustainable options that we can choose which are respectful, personal, environmentally friendly and wildlife-friendly. Often these are not traditional, but this is not a bad thing. It’s good to find new ways that are better for us and our planet, but we have to learn to embrace new ideas, one of which are environmentally friendly burial practices such as natural burial. ​

Rosie from 'Personal Poems' recently got in touch with us to discuss how poems can make a funeral really special. This is why she helps families to create personal poems, and she has shared with us this beautiful poem she has written about natural burial from some of our own stories. 

With all the talk of changing the way we do things and helping our planet recover and find balance, we thought it would be nice to share some of our sustainable burial practices. ​

This weekend has been the weekend of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. We have been keeping an eye out for the birds in our gardens and have seen a few cheeky Robins, a couple of Blackbirds, a Starling and one beautiful Buzzard. We also are very lucky that we can enjoy the birds at the natural burial grounds and we thought it might be nice to share with you some of the birds you may see if you visit and a few facts we have found out about them. 

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.