“I make my own burial shroud to avoid cremation pollution”

a last request, external One in 10 people from Co-op Funeralcare, commissioned by YouGov, said they wanted a more ‘green’ funeral.

Rachel, from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, made a burial shroud for her friend from locally sourced wool, willow, wheat and ivy as part of her work as an artist.

For years, she has explored themes of death, dying, grief and nature through craft and functional objects.

But the 50-year-old woman sees the shroud as more than a work of art, which can eliminate the need for a coffin, and has since decided to make her own.

A common reaction of those who see the creation is to ask if they can touch it, to feel how soft it is.

For Rachel, it’s the perfect way to help people tackle the taboo subject of death.

She also works as a death doula, supporting dying people as well as their loved ones to make informed funeral care choices.

“I find that when we talk about death, everyone I meet finds it a useful and healthy thing and a life-enriching thing,” she said.

“It’s often a shock when someone dies. We’re just getting into the treadmill of ‘this is what happens’, so I want to open up these conversations.

“I want more people to know that there are options and we don’t have to fit in a box.”

The practice of digging graves up to 6 feet (1.82 m) deep dates back to at least the 16th century and is believed to be a measure against the plague.

When Rachel’s time comes, she wants a natural burial, which means using a biodegradable casket or a shroud in a shallower grave. The topsoil has more active microbes, so bodies can decompose in about 20 to 30 years, not up to 100 in a traditional grave.