What can i do with Cremation Ashes?

 Before the emergence of Modern-Day Round Barrows there were several choices as to what to do with cremation ashes, however, very few of these gave families the opportunity to not only visit the location of where the ashes may or may not have settled during scattering, but to actually be able to touch the urn, or even, feel as though the life lost is present at an event. 

One family I know, regularly visit ‘Granny’ who rests in one of the Barrows, and they carefully lift her urn from its niche, place it in a chosen grassy spot, and all enjoy a picnic together. 

This may not be everyone’s choice for remembering a loved one, but it may be the solution for families who are looking for a way to enable them to feel closer to the person they have lost. 

A recent visitor to the Barrow said he didn’t particularly think he would visit his Aunt in the Barrow, but he needed to know where she was. Until his visit to the Barrow, her ashes had remained for some time, with a Funeral Director, because ‘nowhere felt right.’ 

Can Human and Pet ashes be Stored Together?

 We are a nation of pet lovers. Around half of all households in the UK own a pet, and I’m sure a number of those owners consider their pets part of the family, after all, a considerable amount of us spend large amounts on treats, holiday accommodation (kennels) and other ‘essential’ items for their animals.

 It is also becoming more popular for us to want to remain with our pets after death, however, places where this can be done are few and far between.

We were visited by Russ Bravo & Denise Walker from Funeral Service Journal to have a look around our barrow and funeral venue…

Children’s Funeral Fund (CFF)

Bereaved parents will be comforted to know that the Children’s Funeral Fund (CFF), or Martin’s fund as it is also know, have acknowledged that the Modern Round Barrow is an important choice for families who have suffered the loss of a child, and will fund the cost of a niche, niche cover, and urn,* for all deceased children (including babies stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy). The fund can be applied for by the bereaved family, or by us, here at Mid-England Barrow on the family’s behalf. Please contact us for more details.

Sarah, owner of Mid-England Barrow said ‘the Barrow offers a unique place for cremation ashes for everyone, but particularly when children are involved, either because they are the deceased, or if a child has lost someone close to them. The ashes can be visited whenever the family wish, so that they can really feel connected to and close to the life lost.’

Niches can be sealed, or created so that the urn can be seen, touched or removed when the family visit. The Barrow is a very calm, tranquil place, it’s not gloomy or sad, and people come feeling relaxed and at peace in the heart of the English countryside.

* The fund is not means tested, but requires documentation to be completed in order to apply for the funding. The funding will be paid for children under the age of 18 years.

Article published in the Funeral Guide -

What Is A Barrow?

“Funerals are changing, and so are memorials. The majority of people who die in the UK are cremated, and there are more and more options for remembering them. One of the newest options for feeling close to loved ones who have died, however, is actually very old, perhaps the oldest funeral tradition in Britain that we still have evidence of - a barrow…….

click here to read more

We have just had an article published in . . . . .

“Do you have cremation ashes, pet or human, you can’t find the perfect place for?”

at Stratford-upon-Avon have supported us and have published an article which you can read here . . . “From Farming to Funerals and a Modern Round Barrow…”

“Nestled in the corner of a field on the borders of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, a large mound has appeared!

As farmers, Richard and Sarah recognised the need to diversify their farm to secure its viability for future generations. Richard, a farmer all his life, and Sarah, from a farming family but trained as a nurse, looked at several alternatives such as growing Goji berries, tea and truffles before visiting friends in Cambridgeshire who had built a Barrow. It was that amazing aura and complete wow that convinced them it was the diversification project they were looking for. Richard said ‘It was a big decision, not only to move away from the traditional farming I was used to, but to start a business which wasn’t already tried and tested as such.’

Soon after this Richard and Sarah attended a crematorium funeral of a farmer: nothing wrong with it, but it would have suited him to have been out in the countryside with no time pressures, with all his family and friends around him. By this time, they had realised that whilst the income from the Barrow made it a worthwhile project, it would be the rural funeral venue that was the icing on the cake so to speak!

Their first task was ‘market research’. Sarah said “We talked to everyone, people who we thought would like the idea, such as celebrants and the local community, but also people who may not be so keen, such as the local clergy and funeral directors. How wrong we could be. Everyone, without exception, understood what we were trying to achieve.”

The farmers also did plenty of ‘number crunching’. They established, given the local population, the average mortality rate and percentage of people now choosing cremation due to costs and lack of burial space, that about 41,000 sets of ashes would be requiring storage annually. 0.004% of the annual ashes within a 40 mile radius of the farm will fully occupy the Barrow. Richard commented “With these figures we were convinced the Barrow was a good business venture.”

The next and biggest hurdle faced by Richard and Sarah was obtaining planning permission. They were given conflicting advice regarding pre-planning and planning applications, and would probably make different choices with the benefit of hindsight. The planning process took 8 months, but got them exactly what they wanted.

Meanwhile, having submitted an expression of interest form (eight pages long) for a grant from the RDPE Growth Programme, Richard and Sarah were then invited to put in a full application. With free support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, they submitted a 36-page application.

Another long process, which contained not always straightforward questions requiring very carefully worded answers, accompanied by quotes in triplicate for each purchase. Finally a telephone call was received late on a Friday afternoon advising that the criteria had not been met for the grant, followed by a letter the following Tuesday saying the grant offer had been made! This grant made a massive difference to the business, contributing a huge 40% to the build costs.

At last Richard and Sarah came to the easy part, the 4.5 month build of the Barrow, and then the hard work started: marketing.

They decided not to invite visitors to the Barrow until the build was completed, a decision they stand by, as they were concerned some people wouldn’t be able to see past the building site to get that overwhelming WOW factor everyone appreciates now that the building is completed.

Richard and Sarah have naturally fallen into their roles within the business, Richard doing a huge amount of work on social media, Sarah writing press releases, blogs and generally doing verbal and face to face PR, whilst roles at the weekly open afternoon are shared between them.

Richard said “Prior to starting the business neither of us were involved in social media. It was a huge learning curve, but it’s been so worthwhile. As soon as a post is placed on Facebook, our website hits literally treble, and on a couple of occasions, they’ve gone through the roof.”

The Barrow is the most amazing place, tranquil and peaceful, an air of calmness, and a shiver down your spine that comes over you when you enter. It’s not a gloomy or sad place, it’s spiritual, and overwhelming. It has to be seen to be believed. Niches, nestled into the handcrafted stonework can hold up to 5 sets of ashes, where families can all be together. Each niche is then sealed by a cover which is designed and, in most cases, locally sourced from a variety of materials in such a way that commemorates the life lost.

Mid-England Barrow has several unique aspects: that ashes can be visited, knowing that your loved one is right there in their specially chosen niche, not scattered somewhere around. In addition, a funeral, ceremony or celebration of life can be held on our working farm, surrounded by English countryside, flora and fauna in abundance.

At Mid-England Barrow people really can have the send off that suits them, with as much of any religion as they wish, either in the open air or using our heated safari tent. Why not celebrate a life with a picnic in the meadow, a hog roast, or a hearty full English breakfast!

There are no time constraints, and no-one to hurry you along, a ceremony here can take as long as you wish in whatever form you want it to.

Mid-England Barrow has regular open days, which are publicised on the website www.mid-englandbarrow.co.uk, the next being on Saturday 28 December 2019, 2-4 pm. Visits can be made at other times by arrangement.

Written by Sarah Smart, Mid-England Barrow
E: info@mid-englandbarrow.co.uk
W: www.mid-englandbarrow.co.uk

Useful links:
www.stratford.gov.uk/planning-building
www.gov.uk/government/publications/rdpe-growth-programme”

A magazine article has been published in the Ancient Origins magazine, you can download the article with the link below -

Mid-England Barrow can be for you whatever you want it to be, a meeting place for family and friends to truly feel close to that person, or just a named location, so family know exactly where their loved one is.

What Makes the Barrow SO Special. 

Before the availability of the modern round barrow, there were two types of options for what to do with cremation ashes. At one end of the spectrum was the traditional churchyard or crematorium, and right at the other was blasting into space or having them tattooed into your skin. For everyone else, the modern barrow offers a unique alternative. 

The Barrows are fairly unusual in that they are one of the few places where ashes can be 'visited', as they remain within a niche, in an urn. 

This means that for those who wish to, not only can the ashes be visited, the niche cover can be designed so that the urn can be touched, or even removed by families from their secure niche, so that the life lost can really be included in significant occasions. I know of one such family who visit the barrow regularly with a picnic, and Granny joins them. 

I think this is particularly significant when children are involved, whether a child was the deceased, or a child wanting to spend time or feel close to someone they have lost. Bereavement is a troubling experience for anyone, but for a child of any age, it can be particularly traumatic.  

The Barrow isn’t a sad or gloomy place, it’s incredibly surreal, that moment when a tingle goes down your spine, and any sound or movement seems to disappear. As you enter, the aura gives a cool, calming, tranquil feeling, and you can’t help but lower your tone, and begin reflecting upon the space you are in and the reason for your visit. It’s not spooky or scary, but invigorating and rewarding, and you leave really feeling connected with the life lost. 

This short article has tried to capture what the modern Barrow is like, but it doesn’t come close. The only way to truly understand what it is like, is to visit for yourself.

“I attended my own funeral” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/6eb7d54e-41db-4927-9e1c-def8ddacf59e

We have been visited by Celebrant Ruth Jewell this week, below is a link to her “blog” of the visit … thank you Ruth.

https://www.ruthjewellcelebrant.co.uk/blog/mid-england-round-barrow

Dassett Primary CofE school visit to place a time capsule . . . .

“Northants couple book first place in modern Round Barrow.”

A couple, formerly from Northamptonshire have become the first people to book a niche at Mid-England Barrow just over the border into Warwickshire, and what's more, they marked it by asking Barrow owner, Sarah Smart, to lay a 'special' stone for them during the building of their niche.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous said 'whilst we have had our final wishes written for sometime, we hadn't thought about including details such as what to do with our ashes. It's nice to think that we have chosen our place, and what better place to choose.'

Barrow co-owner Richard said 'The Barrow is nestled into the English Countryside, on our farm, surrounded by rolling fields and wildlife. It's an amazing structure, built by skilled craftsmen from beautiful locally sourced stone, and when you walk in, the atmosphere is overwhelmingly peaceful, almost surreal.'

Sarah added 'with the opportunity alongside the Barrow for placement ceremonies or celebrations of life held on our farm, we pride ourselves on really offering what the individual would have wanted, from the personalised niche cover which can be made from a variety of materials and designs, to celebrating with a picnic, hog roast, or good old full English breakfast!'

Mid-England Barrow is due to be completed at the end of June, and open days will be published on their website. Anyone wanting more details are asked to contact Mid-England Barrow.

‘But I Want a Send Off that Suits Me.’

 Imagine a peaceful place, birds singing, bees and butterflies in abundance, wild flowers moving in the breeze, and fresh countryside air. 

Now imagine that this is the venue for your funeral, or celebration of life. 

Whilst the options for another of life’s great events, the wedding, has evolved to offer almost any conceivable scenario from a pop star impersonator celebrant, to tying the knot underwater, it seems funerals, memorials, or celebrations of life remain traditionally held in churches, crematoriums, village halls or pubs. 

What’s more, whilst there are now ‘outside the box’ options for what to do with cremation ashes, for example, painting the remains into a picture, making into jewellery, or shooting into the atmosphere by firework, there isn’t much midway between the quirky and the traditional burial, scattering, or as many do, leaving them at the funeral directors, or worse, on a shelf in the garage! 

With 75% of people in the UK now being cremated, and graveyards becoming full, an alternative is essential. 

It seems though, as if this gap may about to be filled, by the building of a Round Barrow. On the Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire border, a farmer has taken the unusual step of opening up his working farm, to build a Barrow for ashes storage and, offer rural funerals.  

Round Barrows or tumuli were first built in the UK around 5000 years ago, and can be found all over the country, a number being sited around Stonehenge. 5000 years ago, they were erected over graves, but the modern ones offer individual niches for urns. 

Richard and Sarah, owners of Mid-England Barrow, said ‘the modern barrow offers a final resting place of peace and tranquility, built from locally sourced stone, hand-shaped to fit each and every spot. Inside its cool environment or aura, gives a breathtaking sense of mystery, and that rare feeling when a shiver goes down your spine’.

Sarah added ‘Having paid our respects at a farmer friends non-religious funeral held at a crematorium, we decided a rural venue with the Barrow would be the basis of a new business for us.’ 

What are the options at the end of my life?

 It seems there are very different understandings of the events held at the end of a life. Traditionally, and certainly throughout my lifetime, a gathering with refreshments after a ‘funeral’ was called a wake, but now I realise that this was actually incorrect usage of the word. The dictionary definition of a ‘wake’ is ‘to hold a vigil beside someone who has died’ and the Funeral Guide says ‘it was felt that someone should always guard over the deceased to keep evil spirits at bay.’ Several other descriptions refer to the wake being held in the home of the deceased or their family, where people will stay up all night with the body– hence the use of the word ‘wake.’ Virtually all of the accounts include the body being present. 

Then there’s the ‘funeral.’ According to the dictionary, a funeral is ‘a ceremony or service held shortly after a person’s death, usually including the burial or cremation. Again, nearly all of the references to funerals state that the body will be present. Traditionally funerals have been held either in church or a place of worship, or at a crematorium. But what if you don’t have, or don’t practice a religion? 

Some people, often from my experience, those who have had outstanding careers or have been particularly charitable, have a memorial service. The event is usually held sometime after the death. There are other reasons for holding a memorial service, such as if a large number of people are likely to attend, additional time for travel arrangement etc may be required, or, to avoid a gathering in the depths of winter when travel may be more difficult. 

Finally, and far more popularly now, is the ‘celebration of life’, mainly differing from a funeral as the body will not be present. The celebration of life appears to be considered more flexible, and definitely more in keeping with the person and personality of the deceased. It is not now unusual for those attending a celebration to be asked to ‘wear pink’, have food far removed from the traditional sandwiches and cakes, play music and look at photographs or films of the deceased. What is particularly nice about a celebration of life, is that the life lost can truly be celebrated by incorporating the things that person would have loved. Why not have a theme, pets, or a photographer, we’re moving towards ‘anything goes.’  

Celebrations of life are definitely favoured by those not practicing religion, but more often, from my experience, many funerals are edging more to celebration than mourning. 

That said, there are times when a more traditional event can been used to help with the grieving process.

 Whichever event you wish to choose, call it whatever you like, what is most important is that it suits the individual, is as individual as they were, and also, suits the family and friends attending.

 Whereas weddings have for some time become more individual, quirky and unique, removed from tradition, events following death have been somewhat left behind, although that is gradually changing.

Have you ever thought how your nearest and dearest will know what you really want when you die?

Like most, you may have had a casual chat with friends and family when the subject came up in conversation, or you may have expressed opinions on what other people have done, but do they really know when the time comes. 

One family nearly experienced this the hard way. A relative in his late 80s lost his first wife, and mother of his children, at a young age, and she was interred in the local churchyard. After a number of years, he remarried, and remained so for 20+ years until his second wife passed away. This lady was interred in the churchyard of a neighbouring village. He had been a farmer all his life, and always spoke of a favourite field, where he would like his ashes to be scattered. So, when he passed away, it seemed there were three places, where anyone could argue, he would choose to be. Thankfully he had made his wishes clear in his will, but had he not, I can imagine there may have been some difficult decisions to be made between a number of family members. 

Everyone knows it’s a good idea to write a will, whether it’s to ensure the best financial plans are made, provisions made for children, or to ensure your wishes are followed, but how many of us actually do it? 

Research states that around 60% of people don’t have a will, and of those that do, a quarter have not been reviewed after changes in circumstance, so may be out of date, and after all, we do sometimes change our minds! 

Another alternative, but by no means a replacement for a will, is to make a funeral plan. Not to be confused with pre-paying for your funeral, a funeral plan clearly states your wishes as to exactly how you would like the time after your death to be. Making such a plan can take pressure and stress away from family, and possibly prevent differences of opinions as to what you would have liked. 

If you have a will, it is wise to refer to your funeral plan in it, and store them together. If the funeral plan is a stand-alone document, all you need to do is to make sure your close family are aware of its existence.

(copyright Mid-England Barrow Ltd)

A copy of our Funeral Plan guide can be found and downloaded on our Useful Info page.

https://www.ruthjewellcelebrant.co.uk/blog/mid-england-round-barrow

Ancient Origins

Oxford Mail

Banbury Guardian

Mid-England Barrow - An idyllic rural modern-day Round Barrow for the safe keeping of cremation ashes as well as a Memorial Garden for the burial of ashes and tribute. We also provide a unique countryside Funeral venue.