Attwood Funerals

22/04/2026

Attwoodfunerals.co.uk

05/04/2026

Happy Easter!!!

I’m so excited to be able to share my beautifully restored vintage coffin bier, seen here carrying our shroud woodland burial stretcher and a truly beautiful shroud topper hand made by myself and friends from local sheep’s wool. So pleased to be able to offer this organic, dignified, elegant and ecofriendly way of getting to the graveside.

01/04/2026

Easter – a time to connect with our immortal spark.

At Easter the church celebrates the resurrection of Christ. The story is written vividly about how he was executed on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. This is of course a story told to help us understand more about ourselves and our own losses and rebirths, as Gnostic Christian the Rev. Steven Marshall in A Homily for Easter Sunday puts it, ‘Easter is the inner resurrection of the human spirit, the liberation and rising up of that immortal spark of the divine light within us’.

When someone close to us dies we can feel a profound loss. We can feel that we can’t go on living ourselves. We are forced to redefine ourselves and reinvent our role, now we may be orphaned, without a partner, or a child. We may go through an unravelling of our own life, until eventually enough has been unravelled to start to make sense of what we see now, and a new resurrected you begins to take shape.

Throughout life there are many deaths, some small, some huge, and each time we lose we can reform a resurrected form of ourself, allowing our own immortal spark to come through and the divine light within us can show through. Easter is all about finding a better version of ourself to live with more compassion and to live more fully in terms of all beings, it’s not just about bunnies, chicks and chocolate.

Throughout life there are many deaths, some small, some huge, and each time we lose we can reform a resurrected form of ourself, allowing our own immortal spark to come through and the divine light within us can show through.  Easter is all about finding a better version of ourself

13/03/2026

How amazing, a crocheted coffin

09/03/2026

The process - called alkaline hydrolysis - will offer families a third option instead of burial or traditional cremation.

08/03/2026

As we are nearing another Mother’s Day on Sunday 15 March, we at Birmingham Hospice understand that this can be a difficult time for those who have lost their mother or mother figure.

We have set up a special dedication page where you can share your memories and photos to help you remember them.

You are warmly invited to use this space to reflect and celebrate your loved one and we hope this will bring you some comfort this upcoming Mother’s Day.

Find out more 👉 https://bhamhospicemothersday.memorypage.org

07/03/2026

There’s no need to rush

This is what it can look like after someone dies on hospice at home.

An empty bed. A quiet room. Lights off because nothing else needs doing yet.

Death doesn’t immediately trigger urgency the way movies suggest. There is time. As they teach us in death doula classes, "Put the kettle on...".

After death, hospice will confirm it, either in person or by phone, depending on your care plan and the state rules. Once death is pronounced, the body is legally allowed to remain in the home for hours. You are not required to call the funeral home right away.
Here are some things that may happen in that space between death and removal and all of them are normal:
• The body will begin to cool
• The skin may become pale or mottled
• The jaw may relax and the mouth may open slightly
• The eyes may remain partially open
• There may be small releases of air or fluid
• The room may feel very still, emotionally and physically

You can take this time if you want it FOR YOU.
You can sit on the bed. You can hold their hand. You can wash their face, brush their hair, say prayers, talk to them, or say nothing at all. You can open a window. You can let the room be exactly as quiet as it needs to be. There is no rush unless you want there to be one.

When you’re ready, hospice or the funeral home will handle the next steps. Until then, this space belongs to you, not paperwork, not timelines, not logistics. No alarms. No countdown. Just the pause after a life has ended and before the world starts moving again. If you’ve never seen this part before, that’s okay. Most people haven’t.

22/02/2026

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20/02/2026

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Would it surprise you to know that cremated remains are tracked throughout the entire process?

In most crematories, identification paperwork stays physically magnetized to the machine or bin holding the remains the whole time. There is also typically a small metal identification disc (ID coin) that stays with the body during cremation and remains with the cremated remains afterward for permanent identification.

Another common misconception to fix: “ashes” are not actually ash like from a fireplace.

What is left after cremation are primarily processed bone fragments like you see in the photo. The soft tissue is reduced by heat, but the skeletal structure doesn’t simply burn away. It calcifies and changes form. Have you seen the ashes under a microscope video?

After the cremation cycle, these fragments are swept with a long metal tined broom from the chamber and placed in a metal container to cool, with the identification paperwork still secured. Once cooled, they are placed into a processor, with a wild name of THE cremulator), which reduces the fragments into the fine, sand-like texture families are familiar with.

This is also why cremated remains can vary in color and texture from lighter, almost white grains to darker gray tones. Factors like temperature, duration, bone density, age, and medical history can all influence the final appearance.

Transparent education matters. Death care doesn’t have to be mysterious and families deserve to understand what truly happens to the people they love. 💚

16/02/2026

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When someone dies, I want to assure you that the clock doesn’t start ticking the way most people think it does.

You don’t have to rush, you don’t have to immediately call for removal, you don’t have to give up those first sacred hours.

A home funeral or vigil gives people the option of keeping their person at home for a period of time before cremation or burial. It can be a few hours, up to a day or two (depending on circumstances and body cooling options). It can include body washing, dressing, storytelling, music, prayer, silence, grandchildren visiting, dogs laying at their feet, the works.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, doesn’t have to be dramatic, either. This moment in time can be tender.

This is where an End of Life Guide or Death Doula can step in when family isn't prepared or wanting to assert their desires outside what society considers the "norm.".

A death doula doesn’t replace the funeral home. We work alongside them when needed. In short, a End of Life Guide, or Doula can help families:
• Understand what is legally allowed in their state
• Slow the process down so decisions aren’t made in shock
• Teach safe body care practices (cooling, positioning, bathing)
• Create ritual that feels personal instead of procedural
• Coordinate timing with cremation or burial
• Advocate when families want to participate in meaningful ways

Many people don’t realize you can sit with your person, touch them, comb their hair, say what you couldn't or didn't get to say.
Let children ask questions, let the family dog come in and understand.l, let life unfold with death in the room.

Home funeral before cremation.
Home vigil before green burial.
Time to exhale.

Death care does not have to be cold or clinical; It can be hands-on, heart-led, and gounded.

If this is something you’d want for yourself or your family, talk about it now. Planning ahead is what protects your wishes later.
And if you ever need guidance navigating those first hours, that’s exactly what I’m here for. 🌿

Melissa, The Modern Mortician
End-of-Life Guide & Funeral Consultant

12/02/2026

Anthony Roy L’Huillier (Tony)

Passed away on 17th January 2026, Aged 84 Years. He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his family and many friends. Funeral service to take place at Wyre Forest Crematorium at 3.30pm on Thursday 26th February 2026. Family flowers only, donations in memory of Tony are requested to