Woollen coffins: A stitch too far?

Knitting may be great for mental health but it also boasts environmental benefits, according to a textile manufacturer from Yorkshire.

Natural Legacy, a family-run firm based near Pudsey, Leeds, have come up with the innovative idea of creating sustainable coffins, out of wool.

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The fully biodegradable resting places are made from 100 per cent pure British wool and began being made in 2009, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.

After starting in 2009 it now sells around 120 a month, and forecasts to increase to 200 monthly orders by the end of 2013.

Each coffin is handmade from three fleeces, costing approximately £600 to buy and according to quality director, Rachel Hainsworth, the innovative idea is proving popular.

“It is such a unique product,” she told the newspaper. However, “the rapid growth in sales indicates that people like the idea of having a stylish, aesthetically pleasing woollen coffin for their loved ones”.

The gentleness of the natural wool is also “a real comfort to families,” Ms Hainsworth added, saying “people literally like to stroke it when they go up to the coffin to pay their respects and I think families like the fact that it is tactile and warm, it is like their loved ones are wrapped in a blanket”.

Initially the range was developed by a marketing student who came across an odd fact while looking at old records.

An Act of Parliament from 1667 decreed that everyone had to be buried in a woollen shroud to support the woollen textile industry, an idea which proved to be the inspiration behind the firm’s designs.

The coffins are lined with organic cotton and then reinforced with recycled cardboard, as well as jute edges, leaving plenty of space for personal name plate embroidery.

As well as being environmentally-friendly these coffins are made from British wool, using British workers, helping to support the UK wool industry.

Check out the Natural Endings site.

Complete Article HERE!

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