But what about the ashes?
Recent disturbing incidents in the news continue to cause bereaved families across the UK worry and concern about whether they have been given the correct cremated remains of the person who has died. We thought it would be helpful to have some clear information in the public domain about exactly what you should expect when […]
The ‘What To Do With The Ashes’ Award 2017
Introduced for the first time in 2017, this category had six shortlisted candidates, all of whom offer alternative solutions to the perennial question of what to do with the ashes. The runner up in this category was chosen for their personal involvement and artistry in creating bespoke funerary urns with input from families, resulting in […]
Sacred Stones
“The barrow, its shape, its natural stone, its location, instantly gave me the same feeling of the past being an essential part of the present, of our lives being a shared history. Of peace and calm and connection. And I am drawn to the barrow as a place of rest and pilgrimage for exactly those […]
Introducing the Pebblewood Urn
Davina Kemble’s pebblewood coffin was unveiled at the Ideal Death Show 2013. Reviews were mixed. Some undertakers thought it would be impossible to persuade a dead person to conform to its rounded shape; others reckoned there was no problem. Since then, Davina’s partnership with her manufacturer reached a conclusion, but she’s carried on working away at […]
Not a Good Urner?
Guest post by Tim Morris The House of Commons Work & Pensions Committee report published on 31st March contained evidence that a funeral director had refused to hand over the ashes of a deceased person to the family concerned until the funeral account had been settled. It should be noted that the ashes of a […]
Do the math
Add all these up. What do you get? Phosphate 47.5% Calcium 25.3% Sulfate 11.00% Potassium 3.69% Sodium 1.12% Chloride 1.00% Silica 0.9% Aluminum Oxide 0.72% Magnesium 0.418% Iron Oxide 0.118% Zinc 0.0342% Titanium Oxide 0.0260% Barium 0.0066% Antimony 0.0035% Chromium 0.0018% Copper 0.0017% Manganese 0.0013% Lead 0.0008% Tin 0.0005% Vanadium 0.0002% Beryllium <0.0001% Mercury <0.00001% […]
Getting off the rock
The indefatigable Tom Walkinshaw, to whose market survey many readers of the blog contributed, is coming closer to realising his dream of launching ashes into space. He has given up the day job in order to make it happen. He already has a prototype of the satellite that would carry the ashes. It is about […]
A ceremony of ashes
Posted by Vale We could do with thinking more about what the scattering of ashes. A while ago Evelyn published a wonderful post on the blog (find it here) about scattering Muriel’s ashes in an ‘open, high place’, and I came across this poem recently by Edward Storey. It’s a record of a committal, a wonderful […]
You are the referee
Here’s another pay-up-or-else story — true but anonymised and deliberately undated. A funeral director is refusing to hand over the ashes until the balance of the bill is settled — which it will be if the DSS claim is successful. Does he have the right to do this? You can’t arrest a corpse for debt […]
Crowdsourcing a Space-Age Distribution Strategy
Posted by Tom Walkinshaw Ed’s note: Tom is an enterprising fellow who has a plan to launch ashes into Space – Space burial, he calls it. He needs your help and expertise to get it off the ground, which is why he crowdsourcing on the blog this morning at our invitation. Alba Orbital are now […]
