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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Amelia Hill

From mushroom coffins to reefs made of ashes – why green burials are going mainstream

Adam Sutcliffe and his mother Madeleine Sutcliffe.
Adam Sutcliffe and his mother Madeleine Sutcliffe. Photograph: Adam Sutcliffe

“I want to become a pearl when I die - or a reef,” said Madeleine Sutcliffe. Aged 80 and suffering from lung cancer, Sutcliffe was given six months to live in January.

Adam, Sutcliffe’s son, is enthusiastic. “I don’t think a pearl is possible but if mum’s ashes are made into an artificial reef, I’ll be able to dive to it,” he said. “Given how I feel when I dive - serene, calm and meditative - a reef is the perfect environment to remember mum.”

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