The Association of Natural Burial Ground’s
most flamboyant and go-getting site operator
Gordon Tulley goes from strength to strength.
A Serial Entrepreneur and a Nightmare Polymath
(beware of giving Gordon an idea!)
in the UK
In the 1990s Gordon was offered a Cardboard
`
Coffin company by a Swiss firm, at that time
knowing little about the funeral industry he
turned it down. However, that presentation stuck
`
in his mind and in 2006 he was introduced to the
idea of Green Burial by the CLA. Gordon and his
partner Alison applied for planning permission
on the first of two lots of land totalling 50
acres, some of which he had owned since 1995.
Planning was approved in 2009 /10 and they
launched Respect Natural Woodland Green
Burial Parks one year later. One of Gordon’s
parks is on the border of South Yorkshire & North
Nottinghamshire, the other is in Lincolnshire on
the border to North Lincolnshire.
Gordon soon realised that there was a real gap
in the market for an affordable coffin-less burial
product. They developed this in the form of a
natural shroud with the help of the members
of the ANGB and advice from the NDC. He
thoroughly investigated the issues of carrying
and especially lowering the shroud, developing
a pouch into which a Board is inserted. Respect
also needed to consider that the mourners might
not appreciate seeing through the shroud so
a densely woven bamboo cloth was chosen.
It is designed to gently swathe the body and
allows for certain religions and cultures to easily
view the face should that be requested. Gordon
launched his degradable shroud at the National
Funeral Exhibition and sold out of stock.
Respect have also carried out professionally
observed cremation tests in the UK and were
subsequently invited by the ICCM crematorium
body to present their findings to 200 professional
operators late last year which has resulted in
several crematoriums actually recommending
Respect’s Shrouds as fully tested and safe to use
in crematoriums.
So now Respect can carry out both Green & Pink
funerals with the Respect Everybody Coffin-lessshroud.For more information call 01427 612992
or visit our website.