Memorial ideas in Brighton

If your loved one chose to be cremated and have their ashes scattered, you may be wondering where you can visit to remember them instead of a grave or crematorium. 

A non-traditional memorial can be a lovely way to remember your loved one. It will give your family and friends a special place to go and think about your loved one, which will be especially meaningful if you’re able to set it up in a spot that was important to them, such as their favourite park, for example.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to set up a memorial for your loved one in Brighton, including placing a plaque at the Garden of Remembrance, dedicating a bench in the city to their memory, or donating a tree to a Brighton park in their name. 

Find your funeral director in Brighton who will help you arrange a cremation or burial, and give you ideas for a meaningful memorial.

Honor your loved one’s memory by donating a tree in their name to a Brighton park or open space with the Tree Trust.

There are more than a dozen parks and open spaces in Brighton where you can plant a tree, including Preston Park, Queen’s Park, and Hove Park. Applications for tree donations should be made before September 30 for that year’s planting, which starts in December. 

The city does not allow plaques nor flowers to be placed on the trees, but it could still be a dedicated spot for you and your family and friends to visit and think about your loved one. The Tree Trust also invites donors to be involved in the planting of the tree and can tailor planting ceremonies.

Dedicate a bench in Brighton to your loved one and create a space for reflection in the city. It could be a place for your and your loved ones to visit and quietly remember the person who has died, or it could be a place for you to meet up and share memories. 

Spend some time considering what you would like written on the bench’s plaque, (the council recommends that you use no more than 50 characters), and then fill in a form asking the council if you can dedicate a new bench or adopt an existing one in your loved one’s memory. 

Brighton and Hove City Council says that they are unable to give new benches at Preston Park or The Level, but you can adopt an existing one. The council also cannot give new or adopted benches in Hove Park, St Ann's Well Gardens, Pavilion Gardens and along the Brighton and Hove seafront.

Place a memorial for your loved one at the Garden of Remembrance in Woodvale cemetery. You can choose to place either a woodland walk log memorial, a rosebush memorial plaque, or a plaque on a tree in their memory. 

The woodland walk area has pathways lined with wooden logs on which memorial plaques can be placed. It could be a quiet place for you and your family to wander and take in the woodland plants and wildlife while remembering your loved one. 

You could also choose to donate 30 woodland bulbs or 20 Daffodil or Narcissus bulbs to help contribute to the flower planting throughout the Woodvale grounds in your loved one’s name. 

Placing a plaque on the woodland walk log memorial costs between £350 and £374 for five years, a plaque in a rose bed costs £395 for five years, and a plaque on a dedicated tree costs between £600 and £624. A plaque on a memorial bench with a single dedication costs £1,350 for five years and a plaque on a shared memorial bench costs £500 for five years.