forpip

[forpip]

Natural Burials

We knew once Pip had passed, that we wanted somewhere we could plant a tree for her final resting place. It ended up being a little more complicated than what we thought, we have had to make a compromise but we know we have found the perfect spot and one day we hope in the distant future we will join her once more in our family plot.

What is a natural burial ground?

A natural burial involves being buried in a natural location as opposed to a traditional cemetery, for example being buried in a woodland, a wildflower meadow or even somewhere that animals graze.

A natural burial is considered to be more environmentally friendly and a more natural process. Whether cremated or buried the body is buried in a degradable coffin which means everything eventually returns to a natural state.

We didn’t really consider the environmental impact on having Pip cremated when we decided, had we known we may have chosen a burial. Apparently the fossil fuels used during the cremation process is the equivalent of a 500-mile car trip.

A natural burial offers;

an eco-burial with little impact on the environment

Great range of locations including woodland and meadows

Official burial sites ensure rules are adhered to

A peaceful place for relatives to visit

There are a few natural burial grounds in the area, here are the few we went to visit;

Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground

Based in Tysoe at the bottom of Sun Rising Hill, it is a lovely tranquil spot where you are able to enjoy the wildlife. They are creating 16 acres of managed nature reserved made up of wildflower meadow, grasslands and native woodland. There are two options for both burial and interment: woodland or meadow. It is truly a lovely spot, in another 10 years or so it will truly be a beautiful location once all the trees have matured. Even though we were able to plant a tree specifically for Pip we decided it was too far away for us to travel.

https://sunrising.co.uk/

Westall Park Natural Burial Ground

Based in Holberrow Green near Redditch, it was a perfect location nice and close for us to go and visit Pip whenever we wanted. It is more formal than Sun Rising I would say, we went to visit when it was covered in snow which was lovely and Bertie had a great time running around in the snow. We later discovered that we were unable to plant a tree specifically for Pip, which was a shame but not a deal breaker based on the location of the site.

https://www.natural-burials.co.uk/

Alne Wood Park

Alne Wood Park is based in Great Alne near Alcester so  the location was perfect for us. This was the only place where I got emotional, the views of Warwickshire and beyond are amazing; towards the back of the burial site you are surrounded by ancient oak woodland. When we went for a little wonder we saw deer and birds of prey swooping, it felt so peaceful and relaxed, we knew it was the right spot. Alne wood park is slightly different to the others, it is part of the Heart of England Forest, a woodland planting charity to reestablish the lost woods in the area, they have a planting plan for the next 90 years at least. Although it is a managed woodland it is left very wild and natural.

It was very hard to find any information on Alne Wood Park the website doesn’t work which wasn’t great and the entrance/car park isn’t the prettiest but once you are up on the hill non of that matters (the picture doesn't do it justice). It is currently being managed by Hemming & Peace funeral directors the same ones we used, in the end it worked out well.

You may have already guessed but we felt Alne Wood Park was right for us and Pip. We went to visit the park again the other week to pick Pip’s tree, unfortunately we were unable to plant a tree specifically for Pip but the funeral directors allowed us to go around all the trees and pick the one we wanted, they then worked out our plot from there.

We will be holding Pip’s memorial day/internment service on the 17th July 2021 at Alne Wood Park followed by a celebration. More details to be sent out once finalised.

#forpip #inmemoryofpip #pipstree #alnewoodpark #naturalburial #neonataldeath #neonatallupus #heartblock #sjogrens #sunrisinghill #westallpark

[forpip]

What is Sjögren's Syndrome?

Sjögren's is an autoimmune condition that affects the fluid secretion glands within your body such as such as tears and saliva. But other parts of the body, such as nerves, organs and joints, can also be affected.

The symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome include:

dry eyes

a dry mouth

dry skin

tiredness

vaginal dryness

muscle or joint pain

swelling between the jaw and ears (swollen salivary glands)

rashes (especially after being in the sun)

Information gained from and for more information visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sjogrens-syndrome/

How it affects me?

My main symptoms include really dry itchy eyes and I no longer produce any tears which has only happened in the last 6 months or so. I have found not being able to cry over the past couple of months really hard as I haven’t been able to release my emotions, a friend of mine suggested screaming instead. I am going to give this a try next time to see if it works, I just need to find somewhere very secluded with no one around :0.

My mouth is always dry and quite often claggy - I think that is the best way to describe it. I constantly need to drink water, in fact it was because my mouth was always so dry which made me go see my doctor and after a blood test it was confirmed I had Sjögren's. I was then referred to a rheumatologist for further blood tests, ultrasound scans of my main organs and a lung examination, which was all slightly overwhelming but luckily was nothing to worry about at that stage.

Another common side effect is tiredness and in some cases chronic fatigue, I quite often have days when it can only be described as a fog descends and it feels like you can’t function properly and all you want to do is sleep. I have found the best way to deal with this is to get up and carry on, go for a walk get some fresh air and keep yourself busy.

The UK does have a small charity supporting Sjögren's patients, for more information or to join please visit https://www.bssa.uk.net/

xx