Vegan books of remembrance
Vegan books of remembrance are being introduced at Westerleigh Group’s crematoria in support of its increasing green and sustainable credentials.
Westerleigh is working with Epsom-based FG Marshall, the firm which supplied the very first memorial book to a crematorium in 1938.
The new, ‘greener’ books of remembrance use a vegan-friendly cactus alternative as opposed to the traditional leather and sheep vellum materials previously used.
All the entries in the books are still hand-lettered by FG Marshall’s in-house expert calligraphers and illustrated by their own team of talented artists.
The Westerleigh Group, which has headquarters on the outskirts of Bristol, is introducing the books initially at its Waseley Hills, New Forest and Aylesbury Vale crematoria but plans to introduce them to all its sites over time.
Daniel Dunn, of FG Marshall, said: “We have been looking at manufacturing vegan books for several years but there has not been much of a demand from established crematoria due to the fairly conservative memorial book culture.
“Westerleigh Group is the first group to take the plunge and we are absolutely delighted to be working with them on this ground-breaking project, not only making the memorial industry more sustainable but also pushing the boundaries of innovation, making the books of remembrance more accessible to a younger generation. A traditional book of remembrance is normally made in the Monastic style and is as far away from vegan as you can get. The outer cover is made from calfskin vellum and would normally require three skins.
“The pages would normally be made from a sheepskin parchment. For our vegan books, we use cactus leather, 160gsm Canaletto paper, beeswax and PH neutral PVA glue.
“We tested about 14 samples from different suppliers. The mango alternative we first investigated turned out to be far more expensive than normal leather and the supplier could only provide limited quantities.
“We also tested mushroom leather, cork leather, pineapple leather, fruit waste, stone and various artificial combinations.”
Matthew Brook, Head of Memorialisation for Westerleigh Group, said: “Books of remembrance are a very traditional form of memorial, with beautifully handcrafted books which last for hundreds of years.
“Our partnership with FG Marshall is the perfect blend of traditional trades and modern values.
“Not only are our new books vegan in nature, but they are all being digitised, too, so people who are not able to visit our crematoria will be able to view them from the comfort of their own homes, online.
“The beautiful Books of Remembrance provide families with another option for them to honour and pay tribute to their loved ones.”
In 1933, after years of research and development, Frederick George Marshall introduced the first ‘Book of Remembrance’ for people to commemorate their loved ones in the crematoriums which were becoming more widespread in Britain.
Today, FG Marshall has an international reputation for the outstanding quality of its work.
Tags: crematoriums, Daniel Dunn, environment, FG Marshall, green, memorial, remembrance, vegan, Westerleigh