Catching up on 2021 with Pembrokeshire Natural Burial Ground
2021 was a busy year at Pembrokeshire Natural Burial Ground. We had our first full year of burials. We also found out how wild our wildflowers could be.
What’s been going on in 2021
Last year was our first full year of offering burials. We were very fortunate that the space in the meadow gave us flexibility. Even in the midst of Covid restrictions, funerals were very special and personal and we welcomed some very special people to the meadow.
We have had some really nice feedback about the meadow from 2021. It was lovely to hear how our permissive walk has become a favourite with quite a few dogs. We completely understand as our own pup Luna adores the meadow. Many also said it was a blessing when travel was restricted as it gave them somewhere beautiful to walk. It’s been great hearing how the meadow has helped people reconnect with nature and that they have enjoyed watching it grow as much as we have.
We also had some exciting news for pet lovers as we were given permission to include pets ashes as part of a natural burial. We know for some people this is an important part of their wishes. In addition to this we now also have a special area where we can offer pet burials.
When covid restrictions started to lift, and it was safe, we had our first open day. It was nice that we could finally invite people to see the meadow and share some natural burial ideas. On our open day, we were also able to unveil our new welsh oak memorial frame. Made locally by John from ecological coffins this has been a wonderful addition to the natural burial ground. We are really pleased that we can offer simple and natural memorials to those who want them.
Wildflowers, Woodland and Wildlife
2021 was the first year that we really started to see wildflowers making their mark. In 2020 foxgloves had started naturally lining our hedgerows. Last year they were joined by primroses and other native species that naturally took root. The native wildflowers we had scattered grew into an explosion of colour with chicory, ox-eye daisies, musk mallow, birdsfoot trefoil. We found out that wildflowers can be very wild. You can see a video of our hedgerow below with Jesse sharing the different flowers we had.
Later in the year, we started offering plots in our woodland area in the Spinney. In this area, families can choose a native tree that we plant as part of their natural burial or interment of ashes. Over time these will grow to produce a beautiful woodland area that all can enjoy, including our native wildlife. We have already invited our families to help come plant the first group of trees in our new native woodland.
Last year we saw also our first dragonfly at the meadow. We have seen a noticeable increase in the number of birds and butterflies that have been visiting since we started managing the meadow. We are hoping the pond and wetland restoration that we started last October will encourage more native species. You can read more about our wetland restoration in our green projects.
What’s in store for 2022
We started off the year with a good tidy to try and encourage as many wildflowers as possible. We already have some exciting events planned including our first native tree planting. This will be on the 19th of February you can find out more about this here. Once our pond has had time to settle we are hoping to add some native flora. We have already had offers of native species that need a home and are looking forward to seeing the native wildlife and wildflowers it attracts. This year we will also be learning a bit about hedge laying. We will be putting this into practice at the meadow so keep an eye out for that. It may take a little while for us to get the hang of this but bear with us.
Finally, we want to continue sharing that natural burial is out there. People are still finding out about it and we want them to know that it’s sustainable and doesn’t have to be expensive. But we also want people to know that it also offers very personal funerals. These can still be traditional, but many say the surroundings make it much more relaxed. It also helps when you know you don’t have to worry about time and can plan something that is special to you. That’s what we want to share with people.
Keep up to date
You can keep up to date with what's going on at Pembrokeshire Natural Burial ground by following our Facebook or Instagram.
If you want to find out more about natural burial visit our website:
https://www.leedam.com/locations/pembrokeshire/