Finding delicate ways to honour loved ones, Natural Legacy offers its woollen coffins to aid the bereaved.
The Yorkshire company that manufactures patented woollen coffins from its mill in Leeds has extended its range to offer further personalisation options to families.
As the demand for Natural Legacy coffins rose through 2015 so did the request to be able to add an extra reflection of a deceased’s personality. Natural Legacy responded by adding new colour options for the beautiful blanket stitch detail that finishes each of its items.
“Customers are already choosing our woollen coffins as they feel they more closely reflect the personality of the deceased than a traditional wooden coffin,” said Rachel Hainsworth director at Natural Legacy.
“The woollen coffins are physically and emotionally softer and allow for a gentler goodbye to a loved one. We were not surprised that someone already choosing a coffin which is more personal would want to take this a step further and are very happy to introduce some new colour stitching options.”
Natural Legacy cream adult coffins now have the option of a blanket stitch in the original buff colour, heather (purple) or sage (green), both new colour options can be purchased with co‐ordinating ash caskets.
“We trialled the new colours which sit perfectly with our own Yorkshire heritage, as well as the requests from customers, with funeral directors at the NFE exhibition in June 2015 and they were a great success. We are so happy to have these now on the market and available through our exclusive distributor JC Atkinson.”
Children and baby range
For the business’ children and baby range, Natural Legacy has added the options of pink or blue stitch, which is carried through to the woollen blanket inside each little coffin and onto the co‐ordinating ash caskets.
“The death of a child is something that no one likes to think about, by adding the pink and blue options into our child and baby range we are giving grieving parents that extra opportunity to represent their child, hopefully this can add to their comfort and their ease of choosing the perfect items for their little one,” explains Rachel.
“The woollen coffins have always been popular for children’s funerals as they closely resemble a Moses basket which is less harsh on a grieving parent and also because they are so light, a mother or father is more able to carry these into a church or crematorium themselves allowing them a longer relationship with their child than traditional coffins which even in a smaller size can be extremely heavy.”
The interiors of the Natural Legacy products remain untouched, generously lined with cotton, attractively edged with jute and completed with a soft organic cotton covered pillow. Then the exteriors are finished with a beautiful blanket stitch detail, jute handles and simple wooden toggle fastenings. The delicately stitched personalised nameplate can be neatly attached to the coffin. A smaller more personalised plate can be supplied for the head of the coffin which many families find consoling as a keepsake following the funeral. Each ash casket comes with a secondary internal box which can be removed for scattering or buried, leaving the tactile outer to be used as a memory box holding precious moments and treasures belonging to the deceased.
Suitable for both burial and cremation, families love the more personalised and gentler goodbye that they allow.
“We carry out every process in the manufacturing of our woollen coffins from the selection of raw wool to finished cloth. The resulting woollen coffins are made from 100 percent pure new wool, recycled cardboard and cotton and are light in weight and easy to carry.”
“They are also extremely strong ‐ independently tested for up to 42 stone in weight – and use only carefully selected materials ensuring low emission levels when used in cremation.”
The brand has featured in funeral episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The makers of BBC’s Countryfile also featured Natural Legacy in their film about the wonders of wool. Fans of the brand include Prince Charles, who said people should be buried in woollen coffins because it is a more environmentally friendly way of being laid to rest