Fundraising Products
As part of its fundraising, The Friends sell a number of Sun Rising-related products. They are available at Sun Rising events or can be bought in the cabin by arrangement. Some products can be sent by post.
For almost a decade, we had humming, happy, healthy honey bees who gathered pollen from the wildflower meadows, hedgerows and even the flowers left on graves, as well as the surrounding fields. Sadly, during a season where the bees became rather territorial, we had to take off the hives - but we still have plenty of their delicious honey for sale.
It really is smooth and sweet, quite unlike commercially processed honey. Indeed, amongst bee keepers it is said that honey from cemeteries is the most delicious of all - perhaps because the bees are undisturbed. The health benefits of local honey are also well known: it is said to be a natural antihistamine, helping with hay fever and infections.
The honey is sold in aid of The Friends, with a 340g jar priced at £5.
Friend of Sun Rising Jonathan Fletcher has been making amazing jams, jellies and chutneys for sale in aid of The Friends. A good many of these are made with produce picked at Sun Rising, such as blackberries, rose hips, crab apples and sloes. Where the fruits are not native and wild, Jonathan has sourced them from friends’ gardens. They are as organic as he can make them, with all ingredients listed. And most importantly, they are really delicious!
These are not always available, and what is available changes, but examples are: blackberry and crab apple jelly, spiced crab apple chutney, plum jam, crab apple and rose hip jelly, and so on …
Each jar is £4. You may find there are some for sale in the cabin, or at events, but if you want to arrange to pop over to have a look, just get in touch. 
With beautiful artwork by professional illustrator Philip Bannister, our Sun Rising tea towels are 100% organic cotton.
The autumn view from the pond was available from 2018, and from 2022 the companion of the wildflower meadow is now available.
They are £10 each. If you'd like tea towels posted, please get in touch for p&p rates.
These beautiful lapel pins are were made using the logo designed for The Friends by Tim Howe. They are 3 cm wide, made of hard enamel on stamped copper, with a proper clasp at the back.
The price is £3. They can be bought in the cabin at the burial ground or at events. Alternatively, they can be sent out to you if you add £1 for postage and packing (up to 5 pins).
As the costs for this run of pins was funded by one of our trustees, the proceeds go to The Friends in full!
Using The Friends' hare logo, these key rings are hard enamel on stamped copper.
They are £5 each, can be bought in the cabin at the burial ground or at events.
Alternatively, they can be sent out to you if you add £1 for postage and packing (up to 3 key rings).
Sun Rising Cards 2024
This is a set of photographs taken at Sun Rising by Emma with a winter theme. Made into good quality cards with white envelopes, they are blank inside for your own greeting, and are sold in aid of The Friends.
Cards come as a pack of six, and can be bought for £9. If you buy two or more packs, the cost is £7.50 per pack. If you'd like us to post them, please add P&P at £2.50 for up to 24 cards, or ask for a quote if you want more. If you are visiting Sun Rising, let us know and we can meet you there with the box for you to peruse. Cards are on sale at Sun Rising events.
APOLOGIES - The print run of the 2021 CARD SET has now SOLD OUT
An explosion at a chemical plant and sixteen men lose their lives. Eight year old Michael will never see his father again ...
Inspired by true events, this is one man’s deeply moving journey into the past as he uncovers the truth about his father’s death and his mother’s life.
This novel is inspired by and based on the 1974 Flixborough Disaster, Britain’s largest peacetime explosion until Buncefield in 2005. Told from both an adult and child’s eye view, it is a deeply moving account of how the death of a parent can alter the course of a child’s life. Whilst it is not an anti-corporate story, it shows how the fragmentation of corporations and outsourcing can lead to the loss of communication, common purpose and sense of responsibility with potentially devastating consequences.
Barry Hotson passed away just before its publication and is laid to rest at Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground. His family are dividing the royalties between The Friends of Sun Rising, and the Aylesford Unit at Warwick Hospital, in his memory.
'Suffering the Fire' is published by Cillian Press : cillianpress.co.uk/sufferingthefire. Although it may need to be ordered, we would encourage you to support your local bookshop, but it can also be bought online or through the family direct (email us).
Available in softback (£9.99 in the UK) or e-book (price varies).
This is a calendar for all your important dates and anniversaries. Each month has a different photograph taken at Sun Rising by local photographer, Richard Ellis. The calendar is A4 (about 30 cm long and 21 cm wide), single-sided, and has a spiral binding with a hook for hanging up on your wall.
All proceeds go to the The Friends of Sun Rising, with many thanks to Richard Ellis for the generous donation of his talent, time and resources. Thank you too to Wendy Baker at Morgana Systems who have produced and printed the calendar free of charge.
The cost is £12 per calendar.
They are available at the cabin onsite - let us know when you'd like to pop over.
So, where are we going exactly? is a beautifully illustrated story book aimed at 6 to 10 year-olds, which addresses death as part of the cycle of the natural world.
It provides a range of lively characters and an engaging story designed to help facilitate conversations between adults and children about death.
The book explores some of the challenging emotions and fears that children may experience when someone dies, and responds in a gentle, honest and up-beat way to children’s curiosity about death and dying.
Reflective, educational and joyful elements are mixed together here. Non-religious, it is respectful of all cultures, norms and rituals. It celebrates the link between the human and the natural world, and between the past and the present.
The book is priced at £6.99. All proceeds go to The Friends of Sun Rising.
If you are visiting Sun Rising, let us know and we can bring a copy for you to buy. They are also available at Sun Rising events. Alternatively, we can send them by post; please get in touch for a quote on postage and packing.
More about the book ... | Reviews
More About the Book
About the Story
When five year old Katy and her teenage brother Ben accompany their grandparents on a visit to a natural burial ground, it raises a number of anxieties and questions. Through the conversations they have with the people they meet, they come to understand different aspects of death and bereavement.
The story and its illustrations are based on Sun Rising, and focuses on nature and the outdoors, which makes it appropriate for those of any faith or none, of any background or family situation.
Sample Page
Why this Book?
So, Where Are We Going Exactly? was developed from an idea first proposed by the daughter of Ethel Shepherd, Pamela Bramble. Pam is a Friend of Sun Rising. After Ethel's death (1919 - 2014), Pam's family had found it difficult to explain to Ethel's great grandchildren what had happened and why Grandma Ethel was left in the ground at Sun Rising. At this time there were no books we knew of, written for children, explaining burial at a natural burial ground. Pam knew that her mother's life mission had been to help children learn and understand, so Pam and her sisters Chris and Lyn felt it would be a fitting tribute to Ethel if she were to become the inspiration for a book set at Sun Rising. The trustees of the Friends of Sun Rising discussed the possibility, and at the following AGM the idea was proposed. At a subsequent meeting, a group of writers was formed and that initial idea began to develop into this beautiful book.
About the Authors
Simon Bean is an animator who lives in Nottingham. His involvement with the book project was motivated by losing a son who is buried at Sun Rising, and having to explain issues around death to his other children.
Barbara Crowther had a long and varied career in teaching and other academic areas of communication, the final two decades at Wolverhampton University. She is a fair-weather walker, gardener and birder, and an all-weather reader, writer and community facilitator. She lives in Leamington Spa.
Shaun McKenna is a an award-winning playwright, lyricist and screenwriter with four West End shows to his credit. He writes across several genres and has worked extensively for Radio 4, recent productions including China Towns, The Forsytes and Home Front. He lives in West London.
Jo Price spent most of her professional life teaching and working with young children and teachers in early years and primary education. She makes and exhibits ceramics and enjoys singing, reading, community activities and most of all, being ‘Nonna’ to her three lovely granddaughters. She lives in Combroke, Warwickshire with her husband, Merlin.
About the Illustrator
Philip Bannister has been an illustrator for over 35 years, enjoying work from a huge variety of sources including Conde Nast, National Geographic, Goodwood Revival, The Queens Aniversary Prizes, Royal Army Medical Corps Museum, Mary Portas, Country Life, and involvement in exhibitions of his book illustrations for the Folio Society at the British Library and V&A Museum.
Special Thanks
The book was conceived in the Spring of 2015. Several interested and committed people contributed to the project in many ways, but special thanks are due to the following:
Marianne Westwood who was an important contributor through the early stages of producing the book.
Lizzy Bean who came up with the title and shared her insights into young children’s behaviour.
Chris Baker at KMS Litho, Hook Norton, Oxon, for patience and help through various phases of the production process.
David Orr and Emma Restall Orr for their support and sustained belief in the project, and for David’s IT skills which have created this web page.
Reviews
"I love the book and hope it is hugely successful. It could almost be my story as I have taken my granddaughters there with my son to get them used to the idea that I will be happy there when I die. My 8 year old said I'd be like the compost they make!"
- Jane Smith
"I've just read your book. It's beautiful. I'm sure it will be wonderful for many people at a difficult time, but it's lovely at any time."
- Hazel Blenkinsop
"Just wanted to drop you an email to let you know we have received your wonderful books and have put them in our library for our children to read."
- Jessica Roitman, Grief Encounter – supporting bereaved children and young people
"This wonderful thought - provoking book, so beautifully illustrated, is an absolute gem for individuals, families and anyone working in bereavement. Its clear no-nonsense style is a springboard to discuss difficult issues in an engaging, open and practical way. It also shines a light on the different ways both children and adults might speak, behave and react at such an emotional time. A much needed resource - THANK YOU!"
- Helen Gunton - Retired GP and bereavement counsellor
"Absolutely beautiful, brilliant drawings and text. Just wish we had such a place here in Ireland so I could invite my grandkids to enact the story. Every parent and grandparent should have a copy of this book to help them have the conversation."
- Trish Fitzpatrick
"Mary and I have both read your book this afternoon. It’s terrific! It answers so many questions in a very calm and caring way without being controversial. I really liked the artwork."
- Derek Dwyer
"I just happened to receive a pre-publication copy of this book a few days before conducting a natural burial for a man who left behind a 6 year old daughter. The daughter and her mother were both impressed by the book. Which I think contributed to a relaxed, informal and meaningful funeral. The ceremony ended with an impromptu discussion between the mourners of the merits of the plot and a general agreement that it was a lovely place to be buried. I will be using this book again."
- Ian Willox, Humanist Celebrant
"I thought the book was very good and had superb illustrations . There wasn’t anything I would take out or felt missing . Balanced, direct and for many ages. I think my granddaughters, 8 and 6, would be captivated by it, each at her own level. Compliments to all."
- Marianne Tencate, the Netherlands
"Written in a way that would make it good for adult and child to read together, this book could also just as well be read by a child on his or her own. One of its great virtues is that it does not avoid the kind of questions that children might well ask.... It’s a book I would recommend. A good book in a good cause. "
- Mary Medlicott, storyteller and author (from Mary Medlicott's Storyworks Blog, by kind permission)
"Relating to the human world rather than deflecting the topic through fictional animals, it is gentle and honest about dying, doing a dual job of comforting children and preparing them for difficult emotions … All that, and beautifully illustrated too – a deeply satisfying experience for both the eye and mind."
- from a Margaret Egrot's blog, 18 March 2020.
Our Younger Readers say ...
"I liked the book because it sends a comforting message to young ones who will lost people soon. Some of the illustrations act as if they're real and the book shows you can have your coffin made of anything and you can decorate around the grave with whatever you want and you can remember the person in any way you want to. It answers many questions people might have."
- Tessa, age 8
"I liked the book because even though the topic was quite sad it was written in a way that made it happy. So instead of fearing death, the grandparents welcomed it. I also liked the pictures, which were well drawn. Overall I enjoyed this book alot and I think it had a really good message."
- Theo, age 11
The Friends of Sun Rising is a
registered charity, number 1181570.
