In memory off...... park benches.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

toroddf

Guest
I have no plans to have a funeral whenever that time arrives. That's where I want a park bench to be put up for the funeral costs. Which is a lot of money these days.

I have been cycling around Scotland a lot. Some of the finest places are also blessed with a park bench in loving memory to this and this person. Park benches I have gratefully used.
All places in Scotland, except from my favourite place, is blessed with a park bench for the weary bike rider. And I would have loved to see a park bench up there.

Does anyone here know how to sort this one out ? Asking the council's visitor centre will just get me an empty stare in return and the place is (just) outside a national park. Any ideas which part of the councils is dealing with issues like this ? Has anyone of you done this too ? Any advice is appreciated.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Well done.I think that funerals are a complete nonsense and would also like to not have one but leave a sum of money for a party.

Re the bench I would contact the park wardens /rangers directly if possible i think its fairly common to donate a bench so I am sure they will have come across it before.

How do you arrange disposal of your corpse without a funeral?
 

Mr Haematocrit

msg me on kik for android
The park bench would be a memorial in your name, it would not be able to replace the funeral, you would need to contact your local council or the land owner if private land or a national trust park.
Do not buy the bench from an undertaker as you woukd be stung for it, get it from a garden centre and buy the plaque from an undertaker as this is more cost effective.
You would still require a funeral service however all councils offer a simple service for those unable to pay. If you decided to get crematated you would need to get permission to scatter ashes near your bench, you can not legally scatter ashes where you desire.

swmbo used to work in the funeral industry... hth
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Donate your body for medical research?

I did tentatively look into this ,it has a couple of draw backs that if you die outside your local area your family has to pay/arrange to get the body back and yopu cant be an organ donor.

Ideally I would like to donate all useable organs then have the remainder disposed of like any other waste material with no mumbo jumbo or unneccesary expense.

not something you can discuss very often so grabbed the opportunity to pick peoples brains on here.
 
OP
OP
T

toroddf

Guest
How do you arrange disposal of your corpse without a funeral?

Thanx for the good advices.

There will be a small ceremony before I am getting cremated, I believe. A relative inexpensive procedure compared to a normal funeral. I am sorting out the details as we speak.

I will approach the regional park warden tomorrow and get it all sorted out a.s.a.p.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
My sisters and I bought a memorial seat last year for our late parents. We had heard about plaques being vandalised so we had a permanent message engraved on the front of the seat , but a plaque was included anyway so we put an extra message on that and had it fitted to the rear.

We came to an arrangement with a Scottish landowner. (Our mother was Scottish and our father met her up there, so that's where we wanted the seat to be located.) The landowner was happy for us to put our seat on a part of his land which is open to the public.

We sent £100 to the landowner, which he used to pay a couple of local lads to make a concrete plinth for the seat and we had it delivered to the site. They installed it for us before we went to Scotland for our mother's memorial service. They made a really nice job of it.

One thing I worry about is someone vandalising the seat. It is in a lovely spot with fantastic views, but I'd rather not say where that is in case some moron on t'Interweb decided it would be a *big* laugh to go and trash it. It is in a quiet location, so hopefully it will be okay. I would be upset if something happened to it.

memorial-seat.jpg
 

Psycolist

NINJA BYKALIST
Location
North Essex
My sisters and I bought a memorial seat last year for our late parents. We had heard about plaques being vandalised so we had a permanent message engraved on the front of the seat , but a plaque was included anyway so we put an extra message on that and had it fitted to the rear.

We came to an arrangement with a Scottish landowner. (Our mother was Scottish and our father met her up there, so that's where we wanted the seat to be located.) The landowner was happy for us to put our seat on a part of his land which is open to the public.

We sent £100 to the landowner, which he used to pay a couple of local lads to make a concrete plinth for the seat and we had it delivered to the site. They installed it for us before we went to Scotland for our mother's memorial service. They made a really nice job of it.

One thing I worry about is someone vandalising the seat. It is in a lovely spot with fantastic views, but I'd rather not say where that is in case some moron on t'Interweb decided it would be a *big* laugh to go and trash it. It is in a quiet location, so hopefully it will be okay. I would be upset if something happened to it.

View attachment 11290
Wot an absolutely fantastic way to remember someone . When my Grandparents died we 'bought' them a tree each in a new woodland being planted at the time, but over the years its become impractical to visit the area as it has been left to go wild. Its still nice to think of them being there rather than in a cemetary, and we always say hello as we go past, but your idea has really fired up an interest in doing something similar,when the time comes, for my parents. Cheers
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Wot an absolutely fantastic way to remember someone . When my Grandparents died we 'bought' them a tree each in a new woodland being planted at the time, but over the years its become impractical to visit the area as it has been left to go wild. Its still nice to think of them being there rather than in a cemetary, and we always say hello as we go past, but your idea has really fired up an interest in doing something similar,when the time comes, for my parents. Cheers
We still have family up there, and they often go to the seat to enjoy the view and remember my parents. Those of us in England will go back as often as we can.

Something we hadn't expected were the emotional reactions of strangers to our messages. My mum's cousin has encountered several visitors who were deeply moved by what they read on the seat. She stood and talked to them about my parents' fairytale wartime romance and their 62 years together.

You can buy small, cheap benches made of lightweight, inferior wood. On the other hand, you can spend thousands of pounds on something fancy. We wanted something solid, that should last at least 30 years (to outlast me and my sisters!) which would be big enough to seat comfortably two large people at the same time, but we couldn't afford to go mad on the expenditure. I think the bench and engraving came to around £700 and it was about £50 to deliver it from England to the Highlands. Remember to double-check the spelling and grammar of your messages, especially if you are having the seat itself engraved!

I like the idea of memorial tree-planting, but we had that lovely spot for a bench lined up.
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
We have a couple of natural burial grounds near us and my wife's late Mother's remains (ashes) are at one of them with a tree planted in her memory. My wife and I both plan to end up there under a new oak tree. In a hundred years time we hope it will become a new mature woodland area. I feel its an opportunity to give something back to the planet when our time here has ended.
 

Night Train

Maker of Things
When my brother died we got a bench and a cherry tree placed in a sheltered housing block belonging to a housing association where we both did a lot of work. The residents knew us and supported the idea. The housing association purchased the bench and ensured it was a decent quality one that would last. The housing association also named a new build housing estate in my brother's name and so he is now on the map.
Google Maps 'Chow Square London'


The benches in public parks and spaces often have to be approved by the local authority and may be a 'type' from their regular supplier to meet with maintenance, longevity and safety issues. The park or local authority would have all the answers, especially if there are many benches already.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
We still have family up there, and they often go to the seat to enjoy the view and remember my parents. Those of us in England will go back as often as we can.

Something we hadn't expected were the emotional reactions of strangers to our messages. My mum's cousin has encountered several visitors who were deeply moved by what they read on the seat. She stood and talked to them about my parents' fairytale wartime romance and their 62 years together.

You can buy small, cheap benches made of lightweight, inferior wood. On the other hand, you can spend thousands of pounds on something fancy. We wanted something solid, that should last at least 30 years (to outlast me and my sisters!) which would be big enough to seat comfortably two large people at the same time, but we couldn't afford to go mad on the expenditure. I think the bench and engraving came to around £700 and it was about £50 to deliver it from England to the Highlands. Remember to double-check the spelling and grammar of your messages, especially if you are having the seat itself engraved!

I like the idea of memorial tree-planting, but we had that lovely spot for a bench lined up.

What a magnificent spot for a bench Colin,I can see why people are affected by the combination of the location and a moving story.

Benches dont have to be grand designs to be appreciated by weary walkers /cyclists though, I have made use of this one which is somewhere between Monmouth and Usk on one of my rambling rides.
ChepstowMonmouthRide010-1.jpg


Be
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Benches dont have to be grand designs to be appreciated by weary walkers /cyclists though, I have made use of this one which is somewhere between Monmouth and Usk on one of my rambling rides.
ChepstowMonmouthRide010-1.jpg
I like that!

The message on a local bench brought a lump to my throat...

ernie_saunders_rip.jpg


(If anyone from ABC Centreville reads this - why not go up to the bench and give it some TLC - it is getting a bit tatty now!)
 
Top Bottom