A WORCESTERSHIRE florist has signed up to a campaign to eliminate plastic floral foam from funeral floristry

Kate Hurst, of Camomile & Cornflowers ltd in Shelsley Beauchamp, near Worcester, has become one of the pioneering members of The Farewell Flowers Directory.

The florist industry launches the directory today (Monday, May 6) at the start of Dying Matters Awareness Week, organised by Hospice UK.

The Farewell Flowers Directory is an online listing service that aims to get the single-use plastic foam out of funeral floristry by connecting people to florists across the UK offering natural, beautiful and compostable floral funeral arrangements. 

She said said: "For me, funeral tributes should all be unique.

"They should reflect the person’s likes and loves.

"What better way is there to do this than to choose seasonal, locally grown flowers, especially if they are from the deceased’s own garden.

"So often funeral flowers use floral foam, a single-use plastic that takes hundreds of years to degrade.

"Microplastics from floral foam pollute our watercourses for generations.

"I find it distressing to see floral foam littering our graveyards and cemeteries.

"There is beauty and grace in an entirely natural floral tribute for a loved one."

The Farewell Flowers Directory aims to change perceptions of funeral floristry and get the plastic out of funeral flowers for good. 

Every florist listed in The Farewell Flowers Directory wishes to be part of the change and commits to offering the option of fully compostable funeral flowers, incorporating an element of British-grown material into their designs.

They must also be transparent about the provenance of their cut material and showcase their compostable designs on a dedicated funeral flowers page on their website.  

She continued: "My last floral tribute involved a casket spray of spring flowers and plants taken from the deceased’s garden.

"They particularly loved snowdrops and muscari. Their relatives wanted to plant some bulbs by their graveside for remembrance.

"I have used garden flowers like this many times.

"Relatives love to accompany me around a deceased’s garden as we choose flowers for their tribute.

"We chat and remember their loved ones. It is a spiritual process that often offers a welcome respite from grief."

For more information, visit farewellflowers.co.uk.