Clyde Coast & Garnock Valley Crematorium to Plant a Tree for Every Service Undertaken
The Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley Crematorium in Dalry is launching a new and thoughtful initiative that will see the facility plant A Tree on Behalf of Every Family and Every Funeral Service they undertake this year.
Working in partnership with Eadha, the Lochwinnoch-based social enterprise and nationally recognised experts in woodland creation and sustainability – will see the facility plant in excess of 800 native and rare species trees on behalf of families for the remainder of this year within their extensive grounds.
The cost of the trees, the planting, and the on-going management and care will be covered by the crematorium at no extra cost to families, supported by the knowledge and assistance from the expert team at Eadha.
The tree saplings will come from Eadha’s specialist nursery in Lochwinnoch and planting will take place every month, and will include a range of tree species, from Aspen to the ultra-rare Arran Whitebeam, and Birch, Alder, Willow, Juniper, Hazel and Rowan.
A note of where the trees have been planted for each given month will be taken – allowing families to know the overall area in which the living memorial to their loved one has been placed, and an audited certificate confirming the planting will also be provided for families.
The trees will grow and in time greatly enhance the landscape – reintroducing canopy and shelter, while strengthening the ground and enhancing the soil. They will also offset carbon and help promote even greater biodiversity within the internationally recognised landscape in which the crematorium is located.
The aim is to carry on and continue with the Tree for Every Family and Every Service next year and beyond.
Commenting on the new initiative, Jeremy Hamilton from the Clyde & Garnock Valley Crematorium said:
“We think that this is a gentle idea and one that is also meaningful in terms of timing given the unprecedented situation we are facing through Covid-19.
“We were all set to launch the Tree for Every Family and Every Service in March, then the coronavirus situation arose, and we decided to pause what we were doing. But the time now feels right to pick things back up.
“We feel that it’s a simple idea but one with a lot of meaning – it’s about legacy and connecting the local people, families and communities that we help with the landscape that we all share.
“Hopefully it will allow people to take some comfort from knowing that a living memorial has been planted on behalf of their loved one, and that in time the tree will grow and develop and help to create a new landscape for the benefit of nature and future generations.
Peter Livingstone, founder of EADHA Enterprise’s added:
“We feel that Planting a Tree for Every Life and Service is an enlightened idea, and one that brings benefits on a number of levels – from giving comfort to families through to tackling climate change, carbon management and biodiversity loss.
“Scotland is one of the most deforested countries in the world with less than 2% remaining of the country’s original ancient woodland.
“The trees we will be planting at the Clyde and Garnock Valley Crematorium have been nurtured from local seed cuttings, helping to preserve local genetics and creating trees uniquely suited to the local environment. We will also be planting rare and locally extinct tree species helping add to important conservation efforts.
“We believe that planting a tree is a noble gesture in itself and a highly fitting memorial to a life. We also know that planting a tree as part of a vision to restore a healthy and native forest ecosystem represents a wider act that will ultimately help to enhance and heal our local environment too.”
