Memorial ideas in Oxford

When a loved one dies and chooses to have their ashes scattered, their family and friends may want to designate a space in their memory to visit instead of a grave. 

A memorial, such as a dedicated tree or bench, can be a meaningful way to remember your loved one. It can give you a spot to visit and think about your loved one in an area that was significant to them, such as the town where they grew up or their favourite spot in the park. 

In Oxford, there are a number of ways you can set up a memorial for your loved one, including their own tree in Earth Trust farm, or a bench in their honour at Little Wittenham Wood, Thrupp Lake, or The Wittenham Clumps.

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

One way to remember your loved one in Oxford is by planting a memorial tree on Earth Trust Farm. These are planted in the peaceful setting of Little Wittenham Wood, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation. Your friends and family can also attend with you to plant the tree celebrating the life of your loved one.

To request planting of a memorial tree, a donation to the Earth Trust is required - this usually costs around £200 but visit the Earth Trust for current donation advice. This cost covers the maintenance of your tree, as well as supports Earth Trust’s work to protect the country’s beloved green spaces.

Earth Trust is a guardian of some of the most beautiful green spaces in South Oxfordshire. With Earth Trust, you can dedicate a bench to your loved one at Little Wittenham Wood, Thrupp Lake, or The Wittenham Clumps, which are beautifully serene locations that could be the perfect place to reflect on the memories of your loved one.

Earth Trust can place a bench in an area that offers breathtaking views of the landscape, and each is handmade and bespoke, designed to reflect its surroundings. You can also choose the wording engraved onto the bench’s plaque.

To dedicate a bench to your loved one, the Earth Trust requires a donation. The Trust will use this to commission the bench, maintain it, and support Earth Trust’s work to care for the surrounding landscape.

If you would like a bench placed on the famous Wittenham Clumps (Castle Hill or Round Hill), Earth Trust requests a significant donation of around £5,000. Meanwhile, benches placed in the ruggedly beautiful Little Wittenham Wood cost a slightly lower donation of £2,500, while a bench placed next to Thrupp Lake will require a contribution of £2,000.

South Oxfordshire Crematorium & Memorial Park also offers beautiful, unique memorialisation items you can keep at home. This can be a lovely alternative to memorialisation in public spaces, such as parks, a cemetery, or a crematorium. Some people prefer to grieve privately, or some may feel their loved one’s presence more strongly at home, and this is why the items offered by South Oxfordshire Crematorium are so special.

• Memoria Glasswork: These exclusive, professionally crafted pieces of glasswork are handmade in the UK by highly-skilled craftsmen. The glass moulding process includes a small amount of ashes to create beautiful, eternal glasswork that you will keep with you forever. It is a poignant reminder that can take pride of place in your home. You have the option of a glass robin, an Oeuf (glass egg), or tea light holders to keep as elegant, irreplaceable reminders of your loved one.

• Memoria Memory Books: These memory books are made with the best materials, including premium specialist lay-flat paper, and carefully finished to a high standard, so you and your family will have a reminder of your loved one for years to come. You can choose from an A4 hardcover or an A5 softcover. Both sizes have fully customisable pages, and you can easily select what pictures feature in the book by dragging and dropping an image, rotating and resizing as needed. You can also add text, titles, and dates on the page to make the memory book even more personal.