Insights from Sarah Wickham, funeral celebrant and natural burial ground custodian in Pembrokeshire, speaking on the Dying to Go Green Podcast.
If you have ever wondered whether a natural funeral is the right choice for you or a loved one, you are not alone. Many people come to the idea with little more than a vague sense that it involves a woodland setting and a biodegradable coffin. But the benefits go far deeper than that.
We spoke with Sarah Wickham, a funeral celebrant and natural burial ground owner based in Pembrokeshire, who shared her insights on the Dying to Go Green Podcast about why natural burial is such a meaningful option, both for the environment and for the people involved.
Does the setting of a funeral really make a difference?
According to Sarah, the answer is yes, and more than most people expect.
She describes watching families arrive at her meadow burial ground and visibly relax. The shift is almost immediate. Rather than the weight of entering a space built exclusively for funerals, people find themselves somewhere they might otherwise go for a walk, to clear their head, or to simply be outside.
“You get out the car, you see the surroundings, you see the space, and it’s not about, oh gosh, I’m here for a funeral. It’s about, okay, I can breathe.”
That sense of ease matters. Funerals are already emotionally demanding. But being surrounded by open countryside, wildflowers or woodland can make an incredibly hard day feel a little more natural.
Sarah shares a particularly moving example of a young girl who found the funeral service overwhelming and wandered off. Rather than the situation causing distress, there was enough space and flexibility for Sarah to go puddle jumping with her while the ceremony continued nearby. Her mother could see her, stay present herself, and the child remained part of the day in her own way. That kind of compassionate flexibility is difficult to replicate in a traditional venue.
Do you get more time at a natural burial funeral?
One of the most practical differences between a natural funeral and a traditional one is time. At a crematorium, services are typically allocated a fixed slot, and there is real pressure to keep things moving. Families sometimes feel rushed through one of the most significant moments of their lives. At a natural burial ground, that pressure is usually absent. There is no next booking waiting. People can linger, talk and say goodbye at their own pace.
Sarah, who worked as a chapel attendant earlier in her career and was responsible for keeping services on schedule, knows exactly what that time pressure feels like from both sides.
“Having that space where you don’t have to watch the clock is really lovely.”
How personal can a natural funeral be?
Very personal. Sarah is clear that funerals at natural burial grounds do not follow a fixed format. Families can bring dogs, blow bubbles, set up a table for a toast, or scatter wildflower seeds. Religious ceremonies are welcome, as are entirely secular ones. Some families choose a graveside service on the day and return later for a separate memorial.
Her advice is straightforward: if something feels right, do it. Whether that is an ice cream van, a G&T bar, or simply the family dog trotting alongside the coffin, what matters is that the farewell reflects the person who has died.
This flexibility extends to the practicalities too. Grave markers vary from one site to another. Some burial grounds allow wooden or slate plaques; others offer memorial trees or native plantings. The key is to visit the site, ask questions and find one that feels right for your family.
Can choosing a natural burial help with the grieving process?
This is perhaps the benefit people think about least when making arrangements, but it is one Sarah feels strongly about.
A natural burial ground is not a space you only visit out of obligation. It is somewhere you might go anyway, for a walk, with the dog, or just to sit quietly. That changes the relationship people have with grief over time. Returning feels like a choice, not a duty.
Sarah reflects on her own grandmother, who died years before her young son was born. Her connection to her is not through visits to a headstone. It is through the flowers she has planted, a plaque in her meadow, and the stories she passes on to her son. Grief, she suggests, can gradually shift from loss into gratitude and remembrance, and the right setting helps with that.
“After the funeral, you’re learning to live your life without the person you love… being able to go back when you feel you need to is really important. You can take the dog. You can plant wildflowers.”
She also notes that some people feel an unspoken pressure to maintain a traditional grave, tending to it not for their own comfort but out of a sense of obligation and worry about how it might look to others. That weight is rarely present at a natural burial ground, where the land itself is tended and the space invites visits on your own terms.
What is the environmental benefit of a natural burial?
For many people choosing a natural funeral, the environmental case is central. Sarah explains it clearly.
“There’s too much carbon in the atmosphere. What can we do to reduce it? Natural burial is something we can do.”
Natural burial grounds protect green spaces: woodlands, wildflower meadows and carbon-storing habitats that might otherwise be lost. The body is buried without embalming chemicals in a biodegradable coffin or shroud, meaning nothing harmful enters the soil.
Sarah also offers a way of thinking about burial that reframes the whole process. Rather than focusing on what happens to the body, she suggests thinking about what the body gives back. In a natural burial ground, without embalming or sealed coffins, the body becomes part of the ecosystem. It can, quite literally, help a tree or a meadow grow.
Supporting local suppliers, such as willow coffin weavers, is part of the picture too. Some families even visit the maker and help weave part of the coffin themselves, turning what might otherwise feel like a passive process into something active, personal and healing.
How do you find the right natural burial ground?
Sarah’s advice here is simple: visit first. Once you’ve found some local natural burial grounds, get in touch and arrange to meet the owner or custodian. Walk the land and ask whatever you need to ask, e.g. prices, plot availability, what markers are permitted, whether you can plant bulbs or return with wildflower seeds.
She also encourages people to consider pre-purchasing a plot, both for peace of mind and for practical reasons. Buying ahead often means locking in the current plot price, offering some protection against future cost increases.
Above all, she encourages people to talk about their wishes, write them down, let family know, and make dying part of normal conversation. This relieves pressure on the people who will be making arrangements at an already difficult time.
Key takeaways
- Natural burial grounds offer a relaxed, open-air setting that many families find genuinely easier to be in than a traditional funeral venue.
- There are usually no time restrictions, giving families space to say goodbye at their own pace.
- Natural funerals can be as personal as you want: dogs, music, toasts, religious or secular elements are all welcome.
- Returning to a natural burial ground afterwards can support grief in a gentle, ongoing way.
- Natural burial protects green spaces, avoids harmful chemicals and returns the body to the earth in a meaningful way.
- It is important to visit potential burial grounds in person, ask questions, and consider pre-purchasing a plot for peace of mind.
Ready to explore natural burial grounds near you?
Search the Dying to Go Green directory to find natural burial grounds and eco-friendly funeral suppliers across the UK.
Listen to the full podcast episode and more at dyingtogogreen.buzzsprout.com