ANBG Membership

To be allowed to become a full member of the Association, a natural burial ground must be willing to allow the use of simple, cardboard coffins; it must allow families to organise a funeral without a funeral director if they so wish; it must guarantee long-term security for the graves; and it must manage its site sustainably and ecologically.

The Association relies primarily on the probity of statements made by its members and on feedback from the public, as it does not yet have the resources for site inspections.

To join the Association

Please read the ANBG Code of Conduct and check that you can meet the set criteria.

Send a completed the Application Form and payment to the Natural Death Centre. Alternatively pay online:

Membership is calculated by the number of plot sales sold in the last year

ANBG Membership. Please choose from the following options

Existing Provisional Members £75.00 GBP New Provisional Members £100.00 GBP 6-20 burials £150.00 GBP 21-50 burials £295.00 GBP 51-100 burials £495.00 GBP 101-200 burials £995.00 GBP 201-300 burials £1,495.00 GBP 301-400 burials £1,995.00 GBP 401-500 burials £2,495.00 GBP International Membership £40.00 GBP

What do I get as a member of the ANBG?

Membership of the ANBG will give you:

Referrals from the NDC whenever an enquiry is received about natural burial grounds in your area. Membership of the ANBG ensures that we can give enquirers comprehensive information about your site and assure them of the quality of service you offer, something that we are unable to do for burial grounds that are not part of the Association. Our telephone Helpline and online enquiry service receive frequent requests for information from the members of the public who are considering natural burial.

Enhanced online listing on the NDC website with a link to your own site. The NDC website has a high Google ranking under all search terms relating to natural burial, thus potentially benefiting all ANBG members listed on the site.

Independent accreditation from a nationally recognised charity for your burial ground as an upholder of the best practice in natural burial provision through compliance with our Code of Conduct.

Reassurance and confidence for the public through the provision of our exclusive ANBG feedback system.

Visibility to the public via the high profile of the NDC. The status of the NDC as a charity ensures it is routinely listed as a source of information by hospices, hospitals, government organisations and other charities, often with direct links from their websites to ours. The NDC leaflet, which includes the ANBG, is distributed to places where people die as well as to those providing information after death for bereaved relatives.

Enhanced access to the media. As a charity with over twenty years experience, the NDC is unique in its knowledge of the sector, and is the first point of call for national and local media for comment and reference on the subject of natural burial. We direct journalists to our members wherever possible.

Representation at high level within the professional and academic worlds. Views of our members are represented by the NDC at both the many professional body committees we belong to, and in our collaborative work with several academic departments developing and scrutinising funeral and body disposal practices.

A presence on the social networking sites. Members can benefit from the growing profile of the NDC on social networking sites, with an NDC twitter page, facebook group and LinkedIn profile.

Opportunities to align with the NDC at conferences and events. ANBG members are always welcome to join the NDC promoting our work at the many conferences, talks, exhibitions, presentations and events we participate in throughout the UK on dying, funeral and environmental matters.

Access to advice and consultation from the manager of the NDC, Rosie Inman-Cook, including help with all queries from planning stages to the running of your natural burial site.

A connection with other natural burial ground operators across the UK through our regular members' meetings and our members' only online forum.

Access to the combined knowledge of the association, its trustees and members when faced with queries/problems. Existing members greatly value the cameraderie and the cessation of any feelings of isolation.

The ANBG newsletter several times a year, with tips and pointers keeping you up to date with what is new in the natural burial movement.

Additional visibility on the NDC website with members' photographs across all pages of the NDC site.

ANBG certificate and logos to use on websites and literature.

International members receive all of the above, with the exception of access to the feedback system.

The fees received from members of the Association help support the work done by the Natural Death Centre to promote the alternative funeral movement throughout the UK.