Adapted extracts from material sent to the Natural Death Centre - a sample hessian burial stretcher is stored at the Centre. Similar stretchers have been used in the past by the armed forces. This new design won a Natural Death Centre Award for 1998.
As the designer of this new hessian burial stretcher, the Jerrards Bio-Field Stretcher, I know from personal experience that it can be used by four (or if necessary eight) people to carry a body easily across most open ground and wooded terrains even in adverse weather conditions.
At the burial site, small diameter timber (perhaps locally sawn) can be placed through the stretcher handles which are then drawn together to secure the body, to assist the lowering into the final resting place.
There are four jute webbing handles on either side, each one formed by a continuous loop from the handle opposite. The stretcher is just over two metres in length. Normally four people would be used to carry the body, depending of course on its weight.
The stretcher is made of double thickness natural hessian cloth, with jute webbing, and is of course immensely strong and entirely biodegradable. It incorporates a 'modesty cover' which can be rolled out from one end and a fluid-proof liner.
Two six metre webbings can be supplied to help with lowering the body into the grave, if required.
We do hope that we can help the many people like us who would like to avoid the high street undertakers if at all possible.
The stretcher costs £27-50 if collected (between 7.30am and 4.30pm, Mon to Thur) with £6-50 extra for overnight carriage on receipt of cheque, postal order or credit card order.
Simon Brown, Jerrards, Tripes Farm, Chelsfield Lane, Orpington, Kent BR6 7RS (tel 08707 30 40 50).
This webpage forms part of the Global Ideas Bank (www.globalideasbank.org).
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Orders: To order the Natural Death and Woodland Burial book in
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