Green and Woodland Funerals

Alternative to traditional funerals

There is no standard industry definition of a “green” or “eco” funeral. All funerals will have an environmental impact to some extent, based on all the choices which have been made for the service.

Depending upon your particular preference or environmental concern, there may nevertheless be different choices you can make to personalise your funeral in order to take account of environmental factors.

Woodland Funerals may offer you a setting which meets your needs. We would encourage you to look at the individual woodland burial ground you may be interested in to find out more about the way each burial ground is managed and maintained from an environmental or “green” perspective.

As an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation, M Rushton Funeral Directors can help you arrange for your loved one’s final resting place to be in a woodland burial ground. These are attractive and peaceful places for you to visit and reflect on your loved one’s life moving forward. Woodland funerals are becoming increasingly popular, as people begin to consider the potential environmental benefits of woodlands funerals over other alternatives.

Woodland burials can still be faith based and many sites have dedicated areas for people of different religions. A wide variety of coffins and ashes caskets are still usually available to select.

Eco friendly funeral FAQs

What happens at a Woodland Funeral?

These burials are often not marked with a headstone, rather a tree or flowers that often become indistinguishable in the woodland. Some natural burial grounds offer the opportunity to add a memorial tree to mark your loved one’s resting place.

At the graveside there is usually a short committal ceremony, if desired, and flowers can still be placed as long as there is no cellophane or ribbon. Some venues have onsite dedicated service rooms and chapels that can be used before or after the funeral for a service that is created to reflect your wishes and those of the deceased.

If you would like to explore the possibility of arranging a woodland burial, your Funeral Arranger here at M Rushton Funeral Directors can help you find a natural burial ground near you.

Coffin Range

We offer a wide range of coffins, from picture coffins, wooden, wicker, wool and cardboard coffins to caskets.

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Our pricing

Funeral prices vary depending on the type of ceremony you would like for your loved one. There are many options to choose from to make it unique and special.

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Planning ahead?

It is now really easy to plan ahead, making a huge difference by easing the burden on your family when the time comes, so they can focus on the arrangements.

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Need advice?

M Rushton Funeral Directors can assist you in every step of the funeral so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.

Rushtons provided exceptional care and support following the loss of our Father. From our very first meeting, they were compassionate, professional and respectful, guiding us through every step of the process at a very difficult time. Their attention to detail and genuine kindness gave us…

Duncan Singleton

We couldn’t recommend Matthew and his team highly enough. They were exceptional and went above and beyond to take care of our mum and to accommodate us. Mum was treated with dignity and respect, and Sasha made sure every little detail was perfect - making…

Jack Gardiner

A seamless funeral that let us concentrate on griefing for our brother rather than worrying about all the details. Lee and his team sorted all that out for us and sorted all our requests, just brilliant on the day.

Ian Martin

My cousin recommended Rushtons, as they had arranged both of her parents’ funerals, and she spoke so highly of them. I am incredibly grateful for her recommendation. I cannot thank Lee, Sasha, and all the team enough for the care and respect they showed my…

MICHELLE WILLIAMS

Lee and Sasha at Rushton’s went above and beyond to make mum so comfortable and welcomed all the family when they came to see her. The funeral day went so beautifully with Lee and the other m movers of staff had green ties and a…

Maxine Mardon

Ian Martin

My wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer August 2025. We were given a 3 month prognosis. My wife fought the cancer for the next 6 months. Unfortunately my wife lost the fight, the tumour had grown and my wife passed away 21.04.26 I contacted Rushtons…

Iain Powell

We are very impressed with Matthew for always making himself available and being very kind and understanding in helping us through the process. Also appreciated Lee and Sasha for their help with any queries and for letting us visit whenever we asked. We were very…

Leanne Spencer

We have used Rushtons to arrange the funerals of both my parents and have been highly impressed by the level of kindness and care provided to us and to my Mum and Dad. My dad’s funeral was recently arranged to match all our expressions and…

mike hayden