Sustainability and Ceremonies

🌿 A Walk Among Wildflowers: Visiting GreenAcres Rainford Living Memorial Park

This week, I took a slow walk through a place that doesn’t quite feel like a cemetery—but holds just as much love, memory, and meaning. I visited GreenAcres Rainford, a living memorial park nestled just outside the Merseyside suburbs in the countryside. And I’d love to share a little about why it moved me, and what it means for the way we say goodbye.

What is a Natural Burial?

For those unfamiliar, a natural burial is just what it sounds like: a return to the earth. No headstones, no embalming, no polished marble. Instead, biodegradable materials—like a willow coffin or simple shroud—and a grave marked by a tree, a wildflower, or sometimes just coordinates on a map.

The idea is to allow the body to gently return to the soil, to nourish the land and become part of the natural cycle again. It’s simple, meaningful, and for many people, deeply comforting.

Living Memorial Park: A Space That Feels Alive

Walking through GreenAcres, I was struck by how alive it felt. Birdsong echoed through the trees. The grass was long and swaying. Flowers grew where they pleased. There was a hush to the place—not silent, but gentle.

It doesn’t feel like walking through a graveyard, even when you see a grave mound freshly laid, it still feels like walking through nature. You can bring your family and let your kids explore and enjoy the space. You can even bring the dog, as long as it stays on the lead. And that, I think, is what makes it so special.

There’s no cold stone or clinical air—just the soft presence of memory. A space where grief can breathe, unhurried and unpolished.

Why People Choose Natural Burial

Everyone chooses their farewell differently. Some are drawn to natural burial for environmental reasons—it’s one of the most eco-friendly options available, with no chemicals, concrete, or disruption to the land.

Others are looking for a spiritual connection, a way to return to the earth in a form that feels right to them.

And some simply want something more tactile—a ceremony that doesn’t feel forced or overly formal. Natural burial offers a sense of calm, clarity, and closeness to the world around us.

The Role of Ceremony

As a celebrant, I often talk about how ceremony doesn’t need to be grand to be powerful. In places like GreenAcres, that rings even truer.

A small gathering under the trees. A poem read in the open air. A song, a silence, a flower placed on the earth. These are the kinds of moments that stay with people.

Natural settings allow for deeply personal, gentle goodbyes. Ceremonies here can be spiritual or secular, joyful or quiet. They’re shaped by the person’s life—not by a template.

What It Meant to Me

Being in that space reinforced why this work is such a privilege. Funerals aren’t about just saying the words and closing the curtains —they’re about connection. They’re about honouring who someone was, how they lived, and how they loved.

Natural burial grounds and Living Memorial Parks offer a space where that connection can unfold slowly, without pressure. Where grief can be surrounded by beauty. Where we’re allowed to just be.

If you’ve ever wondered about alternative ways to say goodbye, or if you’re looking for something less traditional and a little more sustainable, I’d be honoured to talk more about what’s possible.

There’s no “right” way to do a farewell. Only the way that feels right for you.