For some families, just leaving a copy of our product brochure with your Will and important family papers is sufficient to express a wish that will be followed. We would also suggest that you consult with a Funeral Director or Solicitor for advice on making Wills, taking out Funeral Plans and other directives (such as a Living Will). You may also wish to consider leaving some aspect of the funeral for your family to decide upon, as it can greatly help with the grieving process.
We always encourage people to buy our products from Funeral Directors. When a family member or loved one dies most people have more than enough to cope with without having the trouble of organising a funeral. Help from a professional in the form of a Funeral Director can make all the difference. However, if you are arranging a funeral yourself, or if the Funeral Director you have contacted is unable or unwilling to sell you the product of your choice, please call us on 01795 830688 – we will do what we can to help you.
All of our coffins are weight tested to carry 150 kg or 23 stone and can be reinforced further if necessary.
Whilst we offer a wide range of sizes in our adult coffins, ranging from 5’ 3” to 7’, we can also offer custom made sizes in our English Willow range, to any size you specify, or even in different designs/shapes.
All of our coffins are suitable for burial or cremation and are supplied with solid flat bases with finger grips and load bearing handles. They are tested specifically for cremation by Marchwood Scientific Services Ltd. in accordance with the Coffin and Casket testing protocol as laid out by the Funeral Furnishing Manufacturers Association.
Pandas do not eat the species of bamboo that we use, and nor do they live in the same region of China (Hunan Province) where our workshop is located. Their food of choice is known as Fargesia, a different genus from the Phyllostachys Pubescens or “Hairy Bamboo” that we use. All our bamboo supplies are purchased from government regulated reserves to ensure that there is no adverse environmental effect from the harvesting. Although bamboo re-grows to its original size in just 59 days after being cut down, we do not harvest from the same plant more than once every three years.
No. The Chinese side of our operations was the first UK Company to be awarded membership of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) in PR China. This membership is not given lightly: our company was inspected by two independent bodies that interviewed our employees in depth and submitted detailed written reports on all their findings to the WFTO Secretariat. The WFTO has ten Principles of Fair Trade, number five of which ensures no child labour. Other companies we purchase from outside the EU are also members of the WFTO.
The products are transported stacked inside one another ‘Russian doll style’, to make optimum use of space. We have calculated that the fuel used per coffin is equivalent to driving a car just 5 miles - rather less than the amount generally used transporting the coffin during the funeral.
In a natural or green burial ground the body is returned to nature in a biodegradable coffin or shroud. Native vegetation (often a memorial tree, but sometimes simply a flowering plant or shrub) is planted over or near the grave in place of a conventional cemetery monument. The resulting green space establishes a living memorial and often forms a protected wildlife preserve. This modern burial practice has its origins in environmental concerns and also offers a spiritually fulfilling alternative to conventional burial. The first woodland burial site in the UK was created at Carlisle Cemetery in 1993. Since then over 250 natural burial sites have been created in the UK, making it one of our fastest growing environmental movements. Find a site close to you here
A coffin is wider at the shoulders than it is at the head or foot, while a casket is rectangular in shape, with straight sides between head and foot.
The products can be stored indefinitely, provided they are kept in a dry and well ventilated area. Some of our clients have used our products as a bookcase or table during their lifetime.
