WHAT happens when you die?

To some it’s a philosophical question, but to others it’s simply a case of what’s practical.

The subject was thrown into relief this week when the Daily Echo revealed that a Hampshire graveyard is becoming so full that religious leaders may be forced to reuse graves for future burials.

St Mary’s Church yard in Warsash is 145 years old and the only useable site in the area, prompting warden Roger Clear to revive the practice of re-employing old plots.

Regulations currently allow sites to be re-used if they are more than 50 years old but Mr Clear insisted that only graves more than a century old with no markings would be considered.

It might seem like a practice that many people would be uncomfortable with but Deborah Smith, of the National Association of Funeral Directors, says the organisation receives few complaints.

Currently only 23 per cent of people in the UK are buried after death and Ms Smith said the majority of problems bereaved families experience are related to finance.

She said: “A grave is considered to be a final resting place and any proposal is sensitive.

“There are some plots where they have literally no land to spare and people have had to be buried outside their area.

“It’s typically local authority cemeteries that are running out of space.

“Cremation has been the choice of the vast majority of people for a while now and there are a variety of reasons for that.”

Although it may be difficult to face, Ms Smith insists that planning in advance is the best way to lessen the burden after the death of a loved one.

Talking about death can be upsetting but attitudes are changing and the practice is becoming more common.

“It’s more about personal beliefs and their wishes and it’s a very complex set of reasons that inform peoples’ choice”, she said.

“The funeral director is there to support the family and you can sit down prior to somebody passing away. Just talk to the funeral director about what is possible.

“It can be difficult but it’s changing and we are seeing the conversation opening up.

“One of the toughest things for people is to know that they are doing the right thing by a person who has died.

“People being able to have those conversations is really important.”

Aside from cremation, one of the increasingly common alternatives to using graveyard plots is woodland burials.

The first site was founded in the 1990s but now there are more than 200 dedicated sites across the UK.

It often involves planting a tree at a person’s burial site, which helps create an area of natural beauty for relatives to remember their loved ones.

Proponents of the practice say it is more environmentally friendly and cost effective, and believe that the atmosphere at a woodland burial is completely different to the approach in a church.

Oliver Peacock, director at Woodland Burials, told the Daily Echo that there are a multitude of benefits.

In particular, he highlights graves being reused in traditional cemeteries as a problem that will not go away.

He said: “There’s a massive shortage of grave space and it leads to the very unfortunate situation where authorities and churches are looking at reusing former grave sites.

“We offer something which is permanent and that compares to some authorities that are offering a limited period of 25 or 50 years, or something like that.

“There’s great difficulty in chasing the relatives of people that have died 50 years ago.

This contrasts, he says, with the increasingly-popular alternative of burials in nature.

“There are no headstones to crumble or become dangerous”, he said.

“It’s much less austere and relaxed and you are surrounded by nature – it’s completely different.

“We feel that it will appeal to those who are green-minded and who have green ideas but we have found that it has a massive appeal.”

 

  • What are your rights when you die?

A person has the right to be buried if they hold the grant of rights to their grave, and if there is room within this plot to accommodate a full coffin or cremated remains.

Different councils have different rules but buying a grave often only gives the right to be buried, rather than ownership of the land.

Similarly, the amount of time a person can be buried before their grave is considered for reuse varies.

In Southampton City Council cemeteries burial rights are issued for a period of 30 years, while in New Forest District Council cemeteries it will normally be 100 years before a grave may be reconsidered for use - although this is not guaranteed.

In practice the amount of time before re-use is subject to change, although Southampton City Council says only graves which are not purchased and have not been used for a burial in more than 75 years will be considered.

However, it may be possible for a family to re-purchase the rights to a grave to ensure that it is not reused.

Some authorities, including Fareham Borough Council, have enough grave space for future and consequently do not currently have a policy of reusing graves.

Fees differ between local authorities - for example in Southampton an exclusive right of burial costs £825, while in Gosport it costs £450 for a resident or £900 for a non-borough resident.

Fareham Borough Council offers the right to buy a 30-year-lease for a double grave space, which would allow the buyer and another person the right to be buried.

For more information contact your local council.