Helping you to say a truly personal goodbye

We understand the importance of ensuring that your final goodbye to a loved one is as personal and appropriate as possible.  For our Family Led Services we are here to help in every way that we can to make the service, be it a Celebration of Life, Memorial, or Traditional Funeral exactly as you wish for it to be.

Accordingly, we note below some ideas that you may wish to consider.  And please remember to allow yourselves time for thought and discussion.  Arranging a service for a loved one should not be hurried.

Things to consider.

• Who will conduct the service, a Celebrant, Minister of Religion, Family Member, or a hybrid of services with a member of our team supporting.
• Would Family and/or Friends wish to carry and/or lower the coffin.  This can be a very personal duty to perform for your loved one.  We will always provide colleagues to help and support.
• Should there be a dress theme?  Wearing a particular colour is a simple way for everyone to pay tribute.  There are no rules, so rock band T-shirts, Football Shirts, and full themed services such as Harry Potter and Wild West have been arranged.
• Music can be so special.  Favourite songs or complete playlists can be arranged. It is also becoming increasingly popular to have a playlist of favourites played in the background throughout the service.  We are able to provide quality Bluetooth speakers.  Alternatively, live music can be arranged, recent examples include a String Quartet, Harpist, and a Folk Band.
• Likewise, favourite Poems or Readings can be incorporated into the service.

• Do other members of the family or friends have happy memories they would like to share?  You may feel it appropriate to allow time within the service to invite everyone present to speak.
• Did your loved one have a favourite tipple?  You can have a toast at the graveside, Whisky, Guiness, Fizzy Drinks, Mead, and a Cup of Tea have all been toasts in recent months.
• If the weather allows you may wish to consider refreshments or even having a picnic.  We can provide picnic blankets and hot drinks to help support you.

As we only conduct one full burial at each natural burial ground per day remember that you have time to ensure that everything is as you wish.  We do not limit the service time and our team will be available to help and support, to ensure that your goodbye is as special as your loved one.

• You can write personal messages on several of the coffins within our range.  Alternatively, we can provide Message Tags and Pens so everyone present can write a personal tribute and attach it to the coffin.
• We can provide a table for photographs, letters, cards, and other special items can be displayed.

The above considerations are in addition to what you may think of as standard funeral options, which we can also provide on request.  This includes Coffins, Caskets and Shrouds, Hearse Options (such as Electric, Horsedrawn, VW Camper, Land Rover, and Motorcycle), Floral Tributes and Order of Service.

Please consider the service as a blank canvas on which you can create a personal, meaningful celebration or tribute.  Our team are available to help you with this to ensure that everything is as it should be at this most important of occasions.

Further information, advice, and support is available by contacting our team on (0116) 222 0247 emailing [email protected] or by visiting our websites www.thenaturalburialcompany.co.uk and Homepage – Direct Natural Funerals

Introducing the World’s First Mushroom Coffin

At The Natural Burial Company we are dedicated to providing personal celebrations of life and funeral services, whilst maximising our care for the environment. As such we are honoured to be able to now offer the world’s first mushroom coffin.

We are proud to announce our collaboration with Loop Biotech Loop Biotech – Let’s enrich nature and together we’re on a mission to enrich nature.

Loop Biotech’s products are grown in just 7 days from local mushrooms (mycelium) and upcycled hemp fibres. By using these innovative materials, we return nutrients to the earth and allow new life to flourish.

We’re incredibly proud of this collaboration and look forward to making a positive impact together with Loop Biotech. For further information please don’t hesitate to contact us on (0116) 222 0247 or [email protected]

Direct Cremation with Care and Meaning

The benefits of direct unattended cremation and burial are well known. This style of service is simple and cost-effective. It is true though that the service can be impersonal and may lead to regrets. This is not the case with direct services from The Natural Burial Company.

The first concern is that you don’t know who is caring for your loved one. With The Natural Burial Company it is the same team caring for your loved one as arrange and conduct our full funeral services. Everyone is equal in our eyes and arrangements and care will be with Nina, Christopher and our dedicated team.

It has also been noted that many people feel they have missed a chance to say goodbye with a direct funeral. Not being present can impact upon the grieving process. With The Natural Burial Company you can arrange a memorial service or celebration of life at a later date. This allows family and friends to get together to share memories and remember. This could be arranged for a special date such as a birthday or anniversary, or maybe for a summer day with a picnic.

Having a memorial, a place to visit, is also extremely important. With all of our direct services a tree, slate plaque and bird or nature box can be arranged. Our natural burial grounds are beautiful places to visit and remember. Furthermore you are leaving a beautiful natural legacy to support the environment and encourage nature. A memorial tree for example will be a magnificent, living, life-giving memorial for generations.

A direct cremation or burial with The Natural Burial Company will be cost-effective and simple, it will however also be personal and arranged with care and support for you and the environment. For further details you are welcome to contact our team on (0116) 222 0247, by email [email protected] or on our websites https://funeralsdirect.co.uk or Natural & Green Burials – The Natural Burial Company

A Full Range of Environmentally Friendly Services

The Natural Burial Company are dedicated to providing green and environmentally funeral services whilst offering the best possible value. A full range of services are available, Direct Cremation, Direct Natural Burial, Simple Natural Burial and Full Family Led Natural Burial Services.

We understand that for many reasons we all have different requirements. However, whatever the choice, all arrangements must be conducted with total care, respect and support. Our team are committed to ensuring personal service for all.

We respect that you may require a natural burial but with a more traditional funeral director, this is no problem as we work with all local funeral directors and can also refer you to our traditional funeral director partners if you wish. However, for those who wish for a more relaxed, personalised service we offer the following.

Direct Cremation with Natural Interment of Cremated Remains – A direct unattended cremation, followed by an interment of Cremated Remains at a natural burial ground. To help mitigate the environmental impact of cremation 3 trees are planted for each cremation conducted. The cost of this service is £1,750 if the interment is unattended, or £1,990 with an attended interment service or celebration. Further details are available here Direct Cremation – Direct Natural Funerals (funeralsdirect.co.uk)

Direct Unattended Burial – A direct unattended burial at the natural burial ground. The all inclusive cost is £1,740*. Direct Natural Burial – Direct Natural Funerals (funeralsdirect.co.uk)

The Simple Natural Burial Service – Allowing the value of the Direct Unattended Service, but including a simple service for up to 30 minutes, with up to 6 people able to attend. The Simple Natural Burial Service is £2,250*. Simple Natural Burial Service  – Direct Natural Funerals (funeralsdirect.co.uk)

The Full Family Led Natural Burial – A complete personalised funeral or celebration of life service with no restrictions or time or attendance. Only one Full Natural Burial is conducted at each natural burial ground on any day, this allows time for a picnic or complete personalisation of services. The cost of this service starts at £1,700 (exclusive of plot and interment fees). Full Natural Burial – Direct Natural Funerals (funeralsdirect.co.uk)

* Cost inclusive of burial in the natural burial ground and interment fees. The rights to the plot remain with The Natural Burial Company, although the rights may be purchased at a later date if you wish.

An environmentally friendly Jute or Simple Cardboard Coffin is supplied with all services. Other Coffins, Caskets and Shrouds are also available Coffins-Caskets-and-Shroud-Range-May-2024.pdf (thenaturalburialcompany.co.uk)

Our team are available to help on (0116) 222 0247, email [email protected] or between 10am and 3pm weekdays at our Community Hub, 1118a Melton Road, Syston LE7 2HA.

Green Coffins, Caring Service

With the continued growth in direct cremations, direct burials, and more personalised funerals, there is a danger that in some cases key considerations such as environmental care and personal service are lost. That’s one of the reasons why we pride ourselves on providing the best possible service, for a fair price, whilst being as green as we possibly can.

Did you know that 3 million single us plastic coffin handles are used each year? In the majority of cases these handles are just for show, they are not load-bearing. Furthermore, glues, lacquers, and other materials in what are often seen as “traditional” coffins add to the environmental damage. At The Natural Burial Company we reject using these coffins and ensure that every coffin, casket and shroud in our range is environmentally friendly.

Even for direct services we ensure that only coffins that meet our strict criteria are used. This includes the latest coffin within our range, made of Jute, Bamboo and Paulownia. As well as using only environmentally friendly materials these coffins are flat-packed to minimise the environmental impact when being transported from the makers.

Our other coffins and caskets are made from Cardboard, Bamboo, Willow, and Wool. Ensuring a choice, safe in the knowledge that all options are environmentally friendly, and carefully priced to help reduce funeral poverty. Our full coffin and casket range can be viewed here Coffins-Caskets-and-Shroud-Range-May-2024.pdf (thenaturalburialcompany.co.uk)

We are proud that we are able to offer such a green range and thank the excellent coffin makers and suppliers who are working hard to ensure such environmentally friendly choices are available.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require further information regarding our range on (0116) 222 0247 or by email [email protected] Our team are dedicated to helping in any way that they can.

Care and Value

Green Funerals are not just better for the environment, they also offer extremely good value for money.

At The Natural Burial Company we provide the following complete funeral services.

Direct Cremation with Natural Interment of Cremated Remains – From £1,750.

Direct Natural Burial – £1,740.

Simple Natural Burial Service – £2,250.

The Natural Burial Funeral Service (Family Led Service) – From £2,890.

For an information pack, further information, or to meet with a member of our team please contact us at any time on 0116 222 0247 or [email protected]

What is a Green Funeral?

We understand that many people would like to know more about green funerals but may find it difficult to find information. Therefore, we offer various options to help the public, community groups, and funeral service professionals to be more aware of how a goodbye can be as environmentally friendly as possible.

You can arrange to meet a member of our team at one of our natural burial grounds at any time, we can also visit you.

Community Groups

We can visit your community group and conduct presentations on Making a funeral greener, Cost-effective Funeral Services, or Natural Burial. The presentation can be general or can include the services provided by The Natural Burial Company. The presentation will finish with a question and answer session and information will be available to take away.

Alternatively, groups can visit our natural burial grounds for a tour and explanation of natural burial, what we offer, and how all funerals can be greener.

Funeral Service Professionals

Celebrants, funeral directors and arrangers, florists, end of life doulas and anyone involved in bereavement and funeral services is welcome to arrange to visit our burial grounds. We can also visit branches and offices to provide information to help professionals be better equipped to help support clients and the general public regarding green funerals.

The General Public

Everyone is welcome to contact us at any time for further information. You can phone on (0116) 222 0247 or email [email protected] and we can send information by email or post.

A personal visit to a natural burial ground is often the best option if you are able, this allows the greatest understanding of natural burial and how we encourage nature and ensure a natural legacy for all in our care.

Our team are here to help everyone to make the right choices for themselves, their loved ones, and the environment.

A Simple Natural Burial Service

It is important to us to ensure we offer a complete range of green funeral services. Natural funerals, direct natural burials and direct cremation with natural interment of cremated remains are all available. However, we understand that there is also a need for a simple natural burial that allows for a service for a limited number of people to attend, whilst keeping costs as low as possible.

That’s why we have developed our Simple Natural Burial Service. To allow for close family to say goodbye in person, without having to pay for a burial plot.

This is a limited service allowing The Natural Burial Company to reduce costs as much as possible. Accordingly, the plot is selected by The Natural Burial Company as is the time of the service. Up to 6 people can attend the interment and the rights to the the grave are not transferred. These grave rights can be purchased at a later date though if you wish.

The total cost of the Simple Natural Burial Service is £2,250. This is an inclusive cost for all a complete burial service, including a Cardboard Coffin. You can also pay for a different coffin, and a Celebrant to conduct a service.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our team on (0116) 222 0247 or by email [email protected] if further information is required.

Helping you make an informed choice

When arranging a funeral service many people look for environmentally friendly options. But if the information you require is not available how do you know you are making the right decision?

For example, many “traditional” coffins have gold, silver or bronze coloured plastic handles. It is believed that up to 3 million of these single use plastic handles are used each year. Alternative handles, such as rope or wood, are available, but they are not always listed within a coffin range.

However, alternatives are available for both traditional and more modern styles of coffin and casket. Accordingly we are asking for all in funeral service to ensure that this open “informed choice” is available to all when arranging a funeral service.

To play our part in helping everyone to make an informed choice we now offer a new complete range of environmentally friendly coffins, caskets, and shrouds. For all coffins and caskets our website and literature will provide details of materials used and where it was weaved/made/manufactured. We believe that this will allow a greater understanding of not only the coffins available, but also the environmental impact they may have.

Furthermore, as supporting the bereaved and fighting funeral poverty is key to our ethos, we do make sure that our coffins, caskets and shrouds are fairly priced as well as being as green as possible.

Our range includes Cardboard, Bamboo, Willow and Woollen, as well as the Earthcare Coffin made predominantly using recycled paper and bark timber from FSC forests. We can also offer additional coffins upon request and are happy to provide the green credentials for all.

Whilst we offer a comprehensive range we do appreciate that you may also have your own family funeral director that you may wish to use. Many funeral directors offer a comprehensive range of coffins and caskets and will be happy to help meet your requests. We allow all environmentally friendly coffins in our burial grounds.

We would welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you may have. Our team are available on (0116) 222 0247 or [email protected]

Direct Cremations from The Natural Burial Company

On occasions we are asked “why does The Natural Burial Company conduct Direct Cremations?” The answer to us is simple, we wish to provide services in the most environmentally friendly way to meet the needs of the bereaved.

We understand that for many reasons people will choose to be cremated, accordingly we would be failing in our duty of care if we did not support this. Therefore, we are proud to provide direct cremation services followed by an environmentally friendly interment of cremated remains.

For each direct cremation we conduct we plant three trees, one on the grave and a further two at one of our natural burial grounds. The trees planted are typically around 2 metres in height (6 to 7 foot, although this will vary by variety), so they are immediately making a difference to the environment.

This not only ensures support for the environment, it also allows you the peace of mind of knowing that there is a beautiful natural legacy for future generations. You may also visit the burial ground whenever you wish, remembering your loved one whilst being at one with a beautiful, natural environment.

The advantages of direct cremation are well known, simple, cost-effective, and allowing a celebration or service to be conducted with the ashes at a later date (for example in the Spring or Summer, when everyone in the family is available, to arrange a picnic at the interment). The Direct Cremation with Natural Interment of Cremated Remains allows this cremation service, whilst ensuring that our dedicated team are supporting you at every step.

For more information regarding services provided by The Natural Burial Company please ring (0116) 222 0247 or email [email protected]