Free umbrellas donated to Chesterfield woodlands to help bereaved families grieve for their loved ones

Granville’s Wood in Walton, run by the Woodland Burial Company which offer green burials to the deceased, was picked as one of the pilot locations to receive free umbrellas by The Good Grief Trust to provide shelter to visitors as they remember relatives and friends who have passed away.

The bereavement support charity launched National Umbrella Day on February 10, where they gifted hundreds of umbrellas to cemeteries, hospices and gardens of rest, with support from After Life star Dame Penelope Wilton.

National Umbrella Day aims to raise awareness of the over 800 bereavement support services available via The Good Grief Trust’s website during what the charity describes as “this period of unprecedented grief” throughout the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

General Manager of Woodland Burial Company, which maintains Granville’s Wood, Claire Lyons buried her 10-year-old son Issac there after he died unexpectedly at home in 2019.

The 45-year-old mother from Stapleford in Nottingham explained how the free umbrella initiative would have helped her family spend more time in the woods, where she feels closest to her son.

"The umbrellas are perfect for us because we don't have any buildings at Granville’s so if you do get caught in the rain unexpectedly, you will just get wet", Claire said.

"But to know that we now have umbrellas and our families can access them is really lovely.

"The British weather is so unpredictable and in the past it would have been nice to just know that we could go and grab an umbrella and stay a little longer.

"Me and my family feel very close to Issac when we are at the woods and it has been lovely to watch the changing seasons as well.

"The passage of time isn't as painful because it is so beautiful and there is so much to see, it is the only place I feel at peace.

"I think Issac would feel happy there, it is one of the reasons we picked it."

The former mental health worker and her family celebrated the 10-year-old’s life with bouncy castles, cakes and sweets after he died, in a non-traditional wake that his three young sisters and friends could also take part in.

Claire, who is a passionate environmentalist, shared that when Issac passed away, she immediately knew she wanted him to buried at Granville’s Wood.

"It is a beautiful place but it also met our needs in terms of wanting to be environmentally positive and our choices”, she added.

"We decided that we wouldn't do anything that we wouldn't have taken him along to if he had been alive, we only wanted to do things we would have done with him.

"He would have loved the woods, just totally, totally loved it there, he would have climbed and built owl boxes.

"It is just a very open place, a very welcoming place, the children feel very safe there, they can run around.

"I think it allows his sisters to be near him, without that being overly scary which is our biggest fear with children as the whole process is obviously frightening.”

Umbrellas or pin badges from The Good Grief can be bought via their website.

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