Tithe Green Natural Burial

This week, we opened the gates at our Blue House site to local funeral directors, celebrants, hospice teams and others who care for bereaved families in the area.

We wanted them to see how we work to support families beyond the day of the funeral or service. From our online community group to our monthly walk & talks and regular events, community and ongoing care sit at the heart of Tithe Green.

We also believe it matters that we make the work of funeral directors and celebrants as straightforward as we can. When we take care of things like improving accessibility, clear signposting and simple processes, it frees them up for what matters most: being there for the family they are supporting.

It’s an ecosystem that works towards a shared goal: making a difficult time a little easier.

This day was a chance to share who we are, what we believe in, and how we support local families. When someone asks about natural burial, we want the professionals supporting them to feel confident in recommending Tithe Green, and know exactly whose care they are passing them into.

If you live near Blue House (TS28 5NR) and you’re curious about woodland burial, or someone you love already rests here, we invite you to come and meet us, too.

Join us on Saturday 24th October for our community planting day, or Friday 4th December for our wreath making workshop. More details tithegreen.com/events or at the link in our bio.

Our burial grounds through the seasons. 🍃

There is so much beauty to be found in each season - we are especially fond of the rich colours beginning to emerge at this time of year. At places like our natural burial grounds, we are able to witness these changes closely.

📷 from our Oxton, Ketton, and Markfield sites.

It’s berry season, and the hedgerows and trees are bursting with life at Tithe Green Markfield.

Here we have warm orange rowan berries, deep blue sloe berries, rich red hawthorn berries, and vibrant pink spindle berries, reminiscent of cherry blossom.

We love witnessing the changing colours at this time of year, and hope the approach of autumn holds everyone gently.

September book of the month: Help & Hope In One Little Book by The Good Grief Trust.

September is the 10 year anniversary of The Good Grief Trust, and we’re continuing to mark the occasion by highlighting their “Help & Hope” book as our September book of the month.

A small, bite-size read, this book aims to help us all speak the language of grief - both so that we can better articulate our own grief, and so that we can better support others in theirs.

Full review over on our blog. You can pick up a copy for yourself or a loved one at The Good Grief shop: thegoodgrieftrust.org/good-grief-shop or via the link in our blog.

Alison’s bees 🐝

We love these photos captured by . The bees that call our Oxton site home are a vital part of the ecosystem there, and we’re delighted that beekeeper Alison will be joining us at our Oxton planting day on 10th October to talk about her bees and demonstrate some of the equipment she uses to interact with them safely.

Find out more about our planting days (throughout October at all sites) at tithegreen.com/events or at the link in bio.

Earlier this week our co-founders James and Helena were enormously honoured to attend the 10 year anniversary of The Good Grief Trust at Westminster Abbey. An evening to celebrate the trust’s essential work providing “help and hope” to those who need it. In attendance were some of the most influential thinkers and creators in the grief space, all united by a shared purpose: to keep talking about death and grieving, the universal experience which none of us can escape and which none of us should have to navigate in isolaton. As our co-founder Helena said, “you can’t ‘overcome’ grief, but you can join a community.”

We’re pleased to support the work of The Good Grief Trust not just on their 10th anniversary but every day, by including “help and hope in one place” cards in all our information for families after a funeral or interment, as well as introducing their “sit with hope” plaques to our benches which signpost to bereavement support services across the UK.

Find more resources & information at thegoodgrieftrust.org or at the link in our bio.

Meet the team - Trace 💚

What is your role at Tithe Green?

“I am the site manager at our Oxton burial ground. That means I’m responsible for meeting people on site and giving them relevant information, assisting funeral directors on the day of a funeral, planting memorial trees, and guiding families through ashes interments.”

What does an average day entail?

“Lots of different things, like overseeing and working with funeral directors to ensure funerals run smoothly, liaising with third party gravediggers, preparing plots for ashes interments, meeting families and general ground maintenance.”

What is your favourite part off the job?

“I don’t want to sound corny or predictable but… all of it! There’s nothing I would change.”