Idyllic setting to say goodbye to loved ones

9:10am Monday 19th May 2008

Comments (3)   Have your say »

Epping is one of the few places in the country which has a 'green' woodland burial park. EMILY ROBERTS met Kate Adie at its official opening.

BEFORE I went to the Woodland Burial Park in Epping Forest, it was hard to imagine that somewhere where people go to grieve could be peaceful.

I have never found comfort in visiting someone's grave, because it doesn't remind me of that person.

And attending a funeral has always been something of an obligation, rather than a way to say goodbye or seek closure.

But when I went to the Epping Forest woodland burial site, and spoke to families who had laid their loved ones to rest there, I could begin to see why it was becoming so popular.

The 52-acre park, in North Weald, made national news when it was officially opened by former BBC war correspondent Kate Adie.

It gives families the choice of how to say goodbye to someone, rather than conforming to a traditional church or crematorium ceremony.

The last funeral I went to, we were in and out within 20 minutes with the next family waiting outside for us to finish.

It felt like a production line and the vicar leading the ceremony gave an impersonal talk about my grandad, having never actually met him.

But the woodland site has no rules or regulations.

Families can choose when, where and how they want to conduct the funeral.

When I walked through the woods, I would never have even know it was a burial site.

A sea of bluebells covered the ground and you could hear the birds singing in the trees.

The only thing which gave it away is when I came across a newly laid grave where flowers had been placed on top.

A wooden post rather than a headstone marked the spot, blending in with the natural surroundings.

Kate Adie believes the natural environment and open space is a better way for families to say goodbye to someone, and I'm inclined to agree.

"Over the years I have been to all kinds of funerals, and over time I've begun to think that a lot of them make people feel very uncomfortable. Not because of grief, but because people don't know what to do, but you should do what you feel is right.

"We love the countryside and there's no-one who doesn't like trees and greenery and woodland. So why not have that as the place for a funeral? It's natural."