The Association's Code of Practice

There is now a growing movement for farmers, local authorities, wildlife charities and others to establish Natural Burial Grounds, often with commemorative trees or wildflowers instead of headstones. In 1994 The Natural Death Centre launched the Association of Natural Burial Grounds to assist schemes of this type. Over 200 sites are already open or planned around the UK.

Aims of the Association

The Aims of the Association are:

(a) to put forward a Code of Practice for its members to adhere to, so that members of the public approaching such a burial ground can be assured that it reaches these standards;

(b) to help full and provisional members through all the planning and other hurdles;

(c) to help reassure neighbours of potential sites that they have nothing to fear;

(d) to refer member sites to legal, ecological and other advice;

(e) to provide information for member sites on obtaining coffins and other funeral supplies;

(f) to research and publish on the theme of using land for Natural Burial Grounds;

(g) to provide publicity leaflets, information and a referral service for the public concerning the various sites, including maintaining an information area on this subject on the Internet;

(h) to help publicise and defend the movement in the media and with the government and local authorities.

Code of Practice

The following is the Code of Practice for Association members:

(1) Association members agree to take all reasonable steps for the conservation of local wildlife and archaeological sites and to manage their projects according to sound and consistent ecological principles. (Written evidence must be provided to the Association that the views of local or national bona fide wildlife and archaeological organisations have been sought and that plans have been modified as necessary to take account of any objections.)

(2) Association members must be in a position to guarantee the long-term security of both the graves and the wildlife, and have a satisfactory plan for when the site reaches its capacity. (Except for local authority sites, written evidence must be provided as to freehold ownership, any mortgages on the site, the legal title that clients receive, any planned transfer of the site to a wildlife charity or other relevant factors. Give full details of the long-term security offered to clients.)

(3) Association members other than local authority sites must satisfy the Association as to the quality, financial probity and non-indebtedness and relevant qualifications of their directors, trustees, managing body or similar. (Adequate references must also be provided.)

(4) Association members accept for burial bodies whether wrapped in a shroud or placed in a cardboard or wooden coffin or alternative container or wrapping, provided these are environmentally acceptable.

(5) Association members will not require that a funeral director be used. Those using the Natural Burial Ground will be informed that they may organise the funeral themselves, including conducting any service. They may do a token amount of digging or dig a single depth grave, subject to any equipment, training, safety or regulatory constraints; and they may help with filling in the grave.

(6) Association members will keep a permanent record of exactly where each grave is. A copy of the burial ground register entry will be made available to the client and the register will be open for public inspection.

(7) Association members will either sell coffins and shrouds to clients or provide information as to where these can be obtained.

(8) Association members, whose charges must be fair and reasonable, will provide fully itemised price lists for potential clients on request, and will also reveal these prices on the telephone on request.

(9) Association members will provide a copy of this Code of Practice to clients using their services, and will have copies available on request for others.

(10) Association members will provide each client using their services with a feedback form, either the site's own form or the Association's form, asking for the client's comments on the service provided and for any suggested improvements, with a request that a copy of the feedback form be sent direct to the Association. This feedback form is to include the address and phone number of the Association and to note that any complaints can be sent to the Association.

(11) Association members, if taking money for funerals in advance, agree to abide by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Regulation of Funeral Plan Contracts.

(12) Association members accept that in the event of a complaint from a client that is not dealt with to the Association's satisfaction within three months of the complaint being made, the Natural Burial Ground's membership will cease without refund. A serious complaint may result in immediate suspension of membership whilst the complaint is investigated.

(13) Before membership is granted or renewed, the Association may require further evidence on the above or any other relevant matters.

(14) Provisional applicant members may join prior to having a site, but must provide the information required to convert to full membership within a year of their site opening.

Membership

Membership, whether full or provisional applicant membership, costs £50 per annum (with cheques payable to 'NDC') although members are also encouraged to pay 1% of the ground's gross income to the Natural Death Centre charity.

To be allowed to become a full member of the Association, a natural burial ground must be willing to allow the use of biodegradable coffins; it must allow families to organise a funeral without a funeral director if they so wish; it must safeguard funds paid in advance; it must guarantee long-term security for the graves; and it must manage its site ecologically.

At this stage the Association relies primarily on the probity of statements made by its members and on feedback from the public, as it does not yet have the resources for site inspections. Its Natural Death Handbook (4th edn, 14-99 incl. p&p from the above address) is a useful guide for those planning to set up natural burial grounds or to make use of their services.