Vicar's plea for green funerals

Death be not proud - unless it's a green funeral

An eco-friendly vicar is urging his congregation to think green when their time comes to meet their maker.

The Reverend Sam Randell, who is vicar at St John's Church, Hurst Green, Lancashire, believes more people should take advantage of environmentally-friendly coffins.

Mr Randell, who made the call to his flock to mark Creation Sunday, said many undertakers provided the service and added the future of funerals could lie in biodegradable coffins.

"It would be possible if more did it, but unfortunately they do not," he said.

There are a number of options for eco-friendly funerals, with one of the most popular being the use of a cocoon casket at crematoriums.

The Cocoon System, developed by UK firm Green Undertakings, uses a biodegradable casket within a hardwood cocoon.

Just before the coffin is put into the furnace, the cardboard interior, containing the body, is removed from the hardwood cocoon, which is then re-used.

Green Undertakings say the system provides dignity in death and can also save families hundreds of pounds, as well as helping the environment.

Other environmentally-friendly coffin options exist, the cheapest being flatpack cardboard coffins, which can cost as little as £35.