How to leave your mark: 3 unusual ways to scatter cremation ashes

By now, we should all be aware of the importance of creating a Will. However, you may also want to leave other wishes that would not be legally binding in a Will, such as funeral wishes or guidance on where you would like your ashes to be scattered. You can include requests like these within your Will but there is no legal obligation for your loved ones to follow your wishes. There is also a chance that the Will may be retrieved after funeral plans have already begun. Therefore, if you have any funeral wishes or special places for your ashes to be scattered, it is recommended that you directly inform your loved ones during your lifetime.

Many people who choose to be cremated will have a preference about what to do with their ashes. For example, remain in an urn or be scattered at a favourite or memorable location. However, did you know that you can become a tree, scatter your ashes in space or become part of a reef below the surface of the sea? In this blog post, we explore these three unusual approaches when it comes to what to do with cremation ashes.

Scatter ashes in space with Aura Flights

You can now send a deceased loved one on a breathtaking final journey to be scattered at the edge of space. Aura Flights’ unique space burial service carries a person’s ashes in a bespoke vessel to 100,000 feet above the Earth, where they are released in a beautiful cascade into the stratospheric winds which encircle the globe. Here they will travel for many months, spreading out across the planet, ultimately returning to Earth in rainfall or snowflakes in undetectable traces.  

The journey is filmed by two onboard cameras, with the footage transformed into a personalised memorial video featuring photos and video clips of your loved one and set to music of your choice. All are welcome to attend the launch ceremony, either in person at the launch site in Sheffield, or remotely via video link.
 
Priced at £2,450, this service is completely environmentally friendly, using renewable hydrogen to provide lift force, custom-manufactured balloons made of nontoxic, undyed, biodegradable latex (99% of which is recovered) and scattering your loved one’s ashes so widely that they will be undetectable at point of landing.

Become a tree with biodegradable urns

Bios Urn created the first biodegradable urn designed to turn a person into a tree after their passing. The urn is made up of two separate capsules to include your loved one’s ashes, as well as the seed of your choice. The urn can then be planted under the surface of the soil and the ashes become part of nature as the tree grows.

The 100% biodegradable urn can be used for outdoor or indoor planting and is made from recyclable materials. You can use any seed in the urn so you could opt for a tree or a garden of flowers.

The Bios Urn costs around £125, as well as the potential cost of land if you want to plant the tree away from home.

Become part of a memorial reef

Whether they lived by the sea, worked at sea or just loved the sea, this option is certainly a unique one that allows a person’s ashes to form part of a memorial reef. Solace Reef are the first company in the UK to offer this service by placing ashes into a Solace Stone which is then transported to become part of the artificial reef sanctuary.

Over time your loved one’s Solace Stone will become part of the reef’s future growth and protection as it becomes a home for marine life. It will serve as a beautiful memorial where ashes are held or slide from the deck to become part of the sea bed.

The Solace Reef is located three miles east of Weymouth and Portland in Dorset in the South West of England and it is only a short boat ride away from the Solace Reef site in Osprey Quay, Portland.

This service is priced at £3,200 and includes the materials and manufacture of the Solace Stone, a biodegradable ashes carrier, an engraved granite plaque, transportation of the Solace Stone and up to twelve loved ones out to the Solace Reef site and a certificate of placement.

Whether you choose one of these unusual ways of scattering ashes or opt for a more traditional approach, it’s important to discuss with loved one’s beforehand and ensure permission has been granted before proceeding.