Scattering ashes

Scattering ashes means letting a person’s ashes go over land or water, often at a place that meant something to them or to the family. Crematorium staff can scatter them in the grounds if the family asks, and the crematorium keeps a record of where they were laid to rest.

Where you can scatter

On land, you need the permission of whoever owns it, and your own garden needs no one’s. A public park, a hillside or a beach belongs to someone, and scattering there without asking is a trespass rather than a crime, but it is still worth asking. On rivers, lakes and the sea, the Environment Agency asks that you keep away from marinas, fisheries, bathing areas and drinking water intakes, and that you let go of the ashes but keep the container. No licence is needed on land or on water.

How it is done

One person can do it alone, or the whole family can gather and make the scattering the memorial itself, with words or without. A scattering tube, which most funeral directors supply, lets you release the ashes in a controlled way even in a breeze, so they do not blow back. For the sea, a water-soluble urn floats briefly and then dissolves. It takes a minute or two rather than a moment, because an adult’s ashes fill around three litres. For a family who chose a direct cremation, the scattering is often the ceremony.

At the crematorium

Nearly every crematorium has a garden of remembrance, where its staff can scatter the ashes with or without the family there. It suits a family who want a place to visit without a grave to look after, and many crematoria offer a plaque or an entry in a book of remembrance.

If the place is abroad

Each country has its own rules, and some do not allow ashes to be brought in at all. If you are flying, carry the ashes in a non-metallic container so it can go through airport security. Taking ashes abroad sets out the papers you will need.