As the sun goes down

We have for a long time told people that they can have an evening funeral as long as the interment has happened before sunset which is a legal requirement (no such requirement for ashes). After that has been done you can settle in to celebrate and remember the person who has died. Sitting together in the dark I always find has a particular quality. A good time to talk and tell stories and notice the colours changing in the sky as the last light fades away. What an appropriate time to remember a life that has ended. So far this has only happened once so far since our opening and yet it is such a potent time for a funeral.

Recently, a family held a wonderful funeral for their son and they very kindly shared some photographs with us to inspire others.  What a beautiful way to mark the avenue leading to the memorial circle and then as you can see they lit our firebowl to create a warm, bright place around which people could gather. We were very moved by the degree of attention to detail and care that went into creating this very special funeral.