Most of us do not make plans for our funeral wishes but it is the one thing in life that is most certain for us all. Yet, so many of us do make plans in our lives to move to our dream home or have a favourite holiday destination where we enjoy spending a lot of time, not realising that our resting place is actually our final home. By putting arrangements in place, it can help your family greatly, knowing that they are following your wishes, taking away the uncertainty of not knowing what you may have wanted and hopefully avoiding any unnecessary family disagreements. 

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At Hay Meadow Burial Ground, we encourage you to arrange a visit where you are very welcome to be shown around and given the opportunity to ask questions. This is not to be rushed, some may have several visits often visiting themselves before an arranged visit.

 

• You must first need to decide whether you wish to be buried or cremated. A natural burial allows your body to naturally decompose by returning to nature and having very little impact on the environment. Many still wish to be cremated due to the fact there is no grave maintenance, no expensive headstone to pay for or look after and everything is very simple. However, a natural burial can be simple too. Although cremation is not a good process for the environment as each cremation equates to the admissions of a 500-mile car journey, a person may opt for a cremation for personal reasons and therefore we have several areas delegated for ashes burial plots. You may well also have a family member's ashes that you wish to be buried with you and these arrangements can be made. We do not allow the scattering of ashes due to the impact that it may have on the wild flowers that are trying to flourish.

 

• There are a number of areas that you can choose to be buried - a working hay meadow where a crop of hay is taken each year, Busnant Wood which is a native wood that is being created or Silver Birch Glade, located a corner of the meadow where each grave has its own Silver Birch tree planted.

 

• You must complete an application form to reserve your final resting place and we will also ask you to agree to our Terms and Conditions, where we ask that Hay Meadow Burial Ground remains as it is, unspoilt and completely natural, taking great care towards the creatures that share this home too. When completing this form, we ask for details of your next of kin who we can keep in contact with on your behalf, should your medical situation change, and to inform us of any change of address etc to ensure that your wish is fully granted.

 

• We ask that you to consider your funeral wishes and to state them on this form too, if possible. You will find lots of information on our website of recommended Funeral Directors, Celebrants, Vicars, and alternatives to coffin choices. You may prefer to have a direct burial when you are brought to Hay Meadow Burial Ground and simply buried without any fuss, or a celebration of your life with a favourite piece of music played, poems read out and old tales told or many other simple creative ideas to enhance your funeral and ensure that it is not a solemn event.

 

• Within our Terms and Conditions, we also ask you to sign a declaration that you do not wish to be embalmed. We consider this to be an unnecessary process and expense, but also harmful to the environment as when your body decomposes, these chemicals are then leaked into the soil. We also advise you to make it clear to others that you do not wish for your body to be embalmed.

 

• When you are considering whether you would prefer a coffin or an alternative such as a shroud, this will need to be produced from a sustainable source that is 100% biodegradable with no plastic or metal. There are lots of options to choose from. We find that a willow coffin is the most popular, but you may prefer cardboard, natural wood or banana leaf, instead.

 

• We do not allow any oasis, wires or plastic used with the funeral flowers and ask for simple arrangements made from biodegradable products which all florists can help you with but always encourage families when arranging funerals to pick flowers especially if available from a loved one’s garden or similar. You may wish to not have any flowers and make a donation to a chosen charity instead. Nothing is set in stone and you are free to choose your final wish.

 

• To have a memorial or not. This is usually left to the family to decide but this can be confirmed in advance. Full details can be found on our website under the ‘Memorials’ tab.

 

• You can decide on a Funeral Director if you wish to have one. We have ourselves recently become "natural funeral directors". We always attend every funeral to ensure that everyone is happy. Our website has a list of recommended Funeral Directors whom we have previously worked with.

 

• Once you have completed and paid for your reservation of your resting place, we will provide you with a Right of Burial Certificate. We advise you to keep this safe and inform your next of kin. We also advise that you to prepare a Will and tell as many people as possible about your purchase so your wishes are well known and do not get overlooked. Your details are then filed and stored securely in a fire-proof safe. 

 

• You are always very welcome to come and visit and have a stroll around the meadow and woodland that is being created like many do, and have a chat too. We also produce a newsletter each year, reflecting on the previous year. Copies of our newsletters are on our website and also published on our Facebook Page where we regularly make posts aimed to provide information and help family members who may live a far.  We always welcome any thoughts or feedback, or any new ideas that you may have to enhance this place of rest.