DAIRY and wild-boar farmers Maralyn and Alan Willey are turning a remote field on their Medomlsey land into a ground for 'green burials.'

Alternative, ecologically friendly burial has become a growing business. The first dedicated green burial field was opened in 1992 and today there are thought to be about 150, including one in Hexham.

The Willeys got the idea of using their Seven Penny Meadows for burials from a television article. They saw an opportunity to diversify and began to work out how they would accommodate the increasing demand and how they would manage the field.

No headstones will erected. Instead A4 size plaques made of local stone will be laid flat on the ground. Spinneys of native trees and wildflowers will be planted and maintained without pesticides.

The idea of a green burial has become personally important to the family, who are based at Chopwell. Both Mr and Mrs Willey and their two sons plan to buried at the site themselves.

"We've had support from people in the churches and we've already had about 35 people showing an interest in being buried at Seven Penny Meadows," said Maralyn.

Burials can be conducted as a religious ceremony or by secular groups. Humanists now conduct hundreds of green burials a year.

Humanist celebrant Ray Wood, of West Cornforth, says each is different but he does not conduct prayers or mention religion as he would feel hypocritical.

A spokesman for the Natural Death Society said that a personalised biodegradable coffin, usually made from wicker or cardboard, costs about £50 or £60 and the funeral can cost between £200 to £600.

Alan and Marilyn Willey look forward to seeing their piece of land, set in the beautiful, little visited Derwentside countryside become a special place for families across the region; a place where their loved ones have truly become one with a living nature after their own death