“I can’t say how grateful I am for their love and care – there are no words. They also run so many events to help keep you stay connected if that’s what you want. Amazing place with amazing people. Would give them higher than 5* if could.”
When a loved one dies, many things need to be taken care of. Some won’t immediately come to mind, and others you may not yet know about. We hope this guide will provide you with some practical advice at this difficult time.
You may wish to organise the funeral yourself or you can choose a funeral director to help you with the arrangements. Funeral directors can help you make decisions on aspects of the funeral, such as the type of coffin or urn, and funeral transport. At Old Park Meadow, we work closely with funeral directors to ensure the final goodbye feels appropriate for your loved one, and that the arrangements comply with our rules for natural burials.
You can find a list of local Funeral Directors here.
Over 70% of people choose to have a cremation but this is a matter of personal preference. If someone dies in hospital, you will need to inform the hospital of your preference almost immediately so that they can complete the correct certification. Keep in mind that there may be tighter timings with a cremation service, often half an hour from arrival to departure. Given these restrictions, we can host longer services at Old Park Lodge before or after the cremation, allowing people the time they need to say goodbye.
At Old Park Meadow you can hold a religious, secular, or humanist funeral. You may even decide to lead the funeral ceremony yourself. There are no prerequisites; you are in control and can decide what is most suitable for your loved one. We never want to make you feel rushed, pressured, or slotted in. We offer support and flexibility and allow you to choose a date and time that is best for you.
Find out more about the range of services we offer here.
If you are arranging a natural burial, there are a few requirements that you will need to take into consideration. This is to ensure our burial practices are as sustainable as possible, to preserve the natural beauty of the grounds, and to protect our local wildlife. For example, the coffin and burial clothes must be made of biodegradable materials and natural fibres. Floral tributes containing plastic trays or oasis foam will be immediately removed. Large arrangements can be taken back to the post-funeral gathering. To learn more about our requirements, visit our Rules page.
We have a number of memorial options at Old Park Meadow. These include wooden grave markers that can be placed on the grave, bench plaques, and engraved slate tablets that can be placed on our memorial frame, copper memorial tree, or on one of our oak posts situated around the site. We also offer living memorials such as sponsoring a tree on our site, or one of our habitat boxes for local wildlife, including birds, bats, butterflies, bees, and ladybirds. You can also make an entry in our Book of Remembrance.
Click here see our full list of memorials and costs.
If you would like to find out more about Old Park Meadow or what we do, get in touch with our team today.
“I can’t say how grateful I am for their love and care – there are no words. They also run so many events to help keep you stay connected if that’s what you want. Amazing place with amazing people. Would give them higher than 5* if could.”
“Sincere thanks to everyone at Old Park Meadow for their outstanding professional and kind support; and for helping us to arrange such a beautiful Celebration of Life for our son. Old Park Meadow is such a beautiful and peaceful place and the staff are wonderful. The service was exactly what we wanted and so many people who were there have told us how impressed they were both with the service and the venue. I would not hesitate to recommend Old Park Meadow to anyone seeking a natural burial for a loved one.”
“Just a few lines to thank you all for your help yesterday. The professional way you approached everything was highly commendable. It made a grim day much brighter.”
“I just wanted to thank you both so much for all your help, kindness and professionalism. The whole family are so grateful, that with your help we were able to say goodbye to our dad in such a beautiful way. It has helped so much to know that he is laid to rest in a place that he would’ve loved. I imagine that you both go well beyond your job description! You have helped us through a very stressful and difficult time with such thoughtfulness, consideration and care and I truly thank you so much for making such a sad time, when you can’t think straight, bearable.”
“We would like to thank you for the fantastic service you provided last Tuesday. Everything was perfectly organised and we were especially grateful for being so accommodating. We consider ourselves very lucky to have found your Lodge and the service you offer which was just right for our needs. We were also blessed with a glorious sunny day! The acoustics and afternoon tea were also great and please pass on our thanks to the caterers.”
“Such a lovely place for Mum’s final resting place. Just what she wanted with a wonderful service, Delyse and all the staff were so understanding.”
“We were very pleased to find Old Park Meadow as a resting place for my mother who wanted a woodland burial. The location is beautiful, and the service room is both beautiful and uplifting. It is very well run and organised. The emphasis here is on natural, and much attention has been given to planting and conservation. The planting is relatively recent, so trees are still young, but will obviously mature over time. Costs were reasonable, and clearly set out. My sisters and I looked at several other natural burial grounds, but this was a clear first choice for us.”
My family and I chose Old Park Meadow to hold my late brothers funeral service. It was without a doubt the right choice, both the chapel and grounds are beautiful, and brought a definite sense of calm and peace to the occasion. Delyse is a pleasure to deal with, and nothing was too much trouble for her. I would have no hesitation in recommending Old Park Meadow for any occasion. Thank you so much for making a difficult time a lot easier.
“Thank you Delyse for assisting us in making our small service for my Mum’s internment perfect, my Mum enjoyed nature of all aspects and all it’s beauty and oak park meadow is such a perfect place for her final resting place. I cant wait to see how things grow and change and Mum’s tree flourish in all its beauty and the wildlife that makes it there new home over the years as i visit my mum over the years to come with my family.”
“What a beautiful place, from the minute I drove down the drive I knew it was going to be nice, but when you get out of the car and see the stunning views and beautiful building it’s something else. Really tranquil and welcoming. Attention to detail is outstanding, well done to all those involved.”
“Truly Beautiful setting. Vast amount of memorial options at this gorgeous nature reserve. Very lovely welcoming and extremely helpful staff that made laying our amazing mummy to rest, much more bearable.”
“What a wonderful place – so peaceful and beautiful inside and out. A pleasure to meet Delyse and look forward to working with you in the future.”
“We have received so many lovely comments about Mum’s service on Tuesday – and everybody I spoke to commented on the beautiful setting. Thanks once again for your help in making it the wonderful tribute that Mum deserved.”
“A beautiful and tranquil place. I feel peaceful knowing mum is here. Delyse was incredibly thoughtful and supportive. I was touched by how she helped us include four very small grandchildren in a gentle, loving and practical way to help them say goodbye to Nana.”
“Thank you for yesterday. The burial ground is so beautiful and peaceful, it was a privilege to be able to lay dad to rest somewhere so pretty. Being able to hear the sheep in the background and knowing that some of dads younger years were in rural Yorkshire (very much sheep country) was lovely and emphasised the peace of the setting. And so in keeping with his wishes to return to nature in death. It’s comforting to know he would have loved the site, we can imagine him off sunbathing in the long grass.”
