Green and Woodland Funerals

Alternative to traditional funerals

There is no standard industry definition of a “green” or “eco” funeral. All funerals will have an environmental impact to some extent, based on all the choices which have been made for the service.

Depending upon your particular preference or environmental concern, there may nevertheless be different choices you can make to personalise your funeral in order to take account of environmental factors.

Woodland Funerals may offer you a setting which meets your needs. We would encourage you to look at the individual woodland burial ground you may be interested in to find out more about the way each burial ground is managed and maintained from an environmental or “green” perspective.

As an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation, James Hawes & Goodchild Funeral Directors can help you arrange for your loved one’s final resting place to be in a woodland burial ground. These are attractive and peaceful places for you to visit and reflect on your loved one’s life moving forward. Woodland funerals are becoming increasingly popular, as people begin to consider the potential environmental benefits of woodlands funerals over other alternatives.

Woodland burials can still be faith based and many sites have dedicated areas for people of different religions. A wide variety of coffins and ashes caskets are still usually available to select.

Eco friendly funeral FAQs

What happens at a Woodland Funeral?

These burials are often not marked with a headstone, rather a tree or flowers that often become indistinguishable in the woodland. Some natural burial grounds offer the opportunity to add a memorial tree to mark your loved one’s resting place.

At the graveside there is usually a short committal ceremony, if desired, and flowers can still be placed as long as there is no cellophane or ribbon. Some venues have onsite dedicated service rooms and chapels that can be used before or after the funeral for a service that is created to reflect your wishes and those of the deceased.

If you would like to explore the possibility of arranging a woodland burial, your Funeral Arranger here at James Hawes & Goodchild Funeral Directors can help you find a natural burial ground near you.

Coffin Range

We offer a wide range of coffins, from picture coffins, wooden, wicker, wool and cardboard coffins to caskets.

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Our pricing

Funeral prices vary depending on the type of ceremony you would like for your loved one. There are many options to choose from to make it unique and special.

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Planning ahead?

It is now really easy to plan ahead, making a huge difference by easing the burden on your family when the time comes, so they can focus on the arrangements.

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Need advice?

James Hawes & Goodchild Funeral Directors can assist you in every step of the funeral so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.

Alison treated me and my family with respect and kindness. She had empathy and her customer service is of the highest order.

Philip Awuah

Losing a child is a devastating pain that no parent should ever have to go through, but Denise, Tony, and all the staff at James Hawes & Goodchild at 216 Well Street, Hackney, E8 made a completely heartbreaking time feel supported and manageable. From our…

Mandy B

My family and I cannot thank Denise and her team enough for their support, kindness and professionalism, ensuring that our mother’s funeral ran smoothly last week. The funeral was dignified and beautiful, as we had hoped it would be. Thank you Denise, Samantha, Richard and…

Pansy

We used James Hawes for our Dad's funeral back in 2004 so we went with them again for our Mum's this week. A truly excellent service from start to finish. A huge thank you to Alison and Sam who helped us through a really difficult…

Jeff Buggins

We had a funeral for a special mum of the family Alison was excellent arranging our funeral and all our requests The cars were fab staff were lovely this included the drivers and the lovely lady in charge of the procession Our funeral went easy…

Tina Buggins

Thank you to Denise and her team for their support and help during our difficult time. The kindness and compassion shown to the family and attention to detail at the service was greatly appreciated, they knew exactly what we needed when we wasnt in the…

Georgia B

Could not ask for better people to help me throughout the sad time of planning my dad's celebration of life day. Whatever was asked, was done and done to perfection. They became a part of my family and I will always be grateful for making…

Christina Wood

I would like to say a massive thank you for the funeral directors and staff, Denise, Richard, Deanna and Sam, for the care of my Late Father Mr Patrice and the highly professional execution of his funeral. They did a wonderful job from start to…

Benjamite Queen

A massive thank you to Alison for looking after my family at a very difficult time. A special mention to Tony who visited my Autistic grandson every evening and at the weekend to reassure him and put his mind at ease. Such an incredible human…

Harry Mason

Absolutely — this version gives Denise proper credit for the ties and flag, and adds more detail without losing your voice. From all of our family, we honestly cannot thank Denise, Samantha and the whole team enough for everything they did for us and for…

Jen Mahon

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Thinking about a Funeral Plan?

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