Sheppey's first natural burial ground has opened.

Sheppey Natural Burial Ground, off Harty Ferry Road at Harty, is now available for burials and the scattering of ashes.

Sheppey Natural Burial Ground Limited, the company behind the final resting place, which is surrounded by fields of crops, said it offers a “restful, natural environment” for the burial of loved ones.

There is a wooded area for those who wish to scatter ashes and a memorial area, in which the bereaved can have a remembrance tree planted or a plaque displayed, with benches to sit and think about those they have lost.

The burial ground caters for people of different religions as well as those without faith, with separate areas allocated.

MP Gordon Henderson, the company’s chairman, said he was pleased the burial ground was finally open.

The Sittingbourne and Sheppey representative said: “It’s taken a long time to reach the situation where we are able to offer people on Sheppey somewhere in which they can be buried, so I am delighted.

“So many people have, over the years, complained that they are not able to be buried on Sheppey because all the burial grounds are full.

“Now we have one that’s empty and people can book up their slots for when they pass on.”

Mr Henderson said he had been trying to get more burial plots on the Island for 10 years.

“I started trying to get things done when I received complaints when I was first elected,” he said. “People who are born on Sheppey, love Sheppey and they want to be buried on Sheppey.”

Mr Henderson, who used to be a trustee of what was the Halfway Conservative Hall in Minster Road, said money left over from its sale had been put towards the burial ground.

“It’s a more environmentally friendly way of having burials and that’s what people want.”

“We had money from the hall that we wanted to use for the benefit of the community. We put the money into buying the land and preparing it,” he said.

Natural burial grounds are considered a more eco-friendly option. “Over time, it returns to a natural environment, that’s the whole concept of it. Rather than having a concrete headstone, plots will have a memorial tree and coffins can be bamboo or cardboard, for example,” Mr Henderson said.

“It’s a more environmentally friendly way of having burials and that’s what people want.”

Burial plots at the Sheppey Natural Burial Ground can now be purchased. To find out more, call 01795 666344.

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