A cemetery near Alveston has been singled out for praise, with a health psychologist saying its model should be replicated 'across the country'.

Mireille Hayden made the comment about Bristol Memorial Woodlands.

She is part of Gentle Dusk, an organisation which provides training for those working with the bereaved.

Mireille made the comments during National Grief Awareness Week after holding two workshops at the Woodlands.

"“We are in an age where crematoria give short allocated time slots for a funeral and often there is no grave, headstone or place where someone can go to remember their loved one.

“Bristol Memorial Woodlands offers people the chance to take as much time as they want to say goodbye to someone.

“There is a burial with a tree becoming part of a marvellous woodland where families can visit whenever they feel the need. There is something timeless about a woodland setting and it is a place of calm where people can reflect and come to terms with their grief.

“Creating and protecting this natural environment for the future is very positive. The model should be replicated across the country.”

“In our fast-moving modern world many people just do not find the time to grieve. It is not something that just happens when a loved one dies and ends with a funeral,” she said.

David Rae, of Bristol Memorial Woodland, said: “Often death and dying is a taboo subject but it is a conversation we all need to have as it affects us all. Everyone copes with grief in a different way.

“It is marvellous to see whole families having a picnic under a tree where grandparents were buried; or a person sitting alone with their thoughts in the woodland.

“Because people can visit us at any time and enjoy the space and where there is a specific plot and tree allocated to the person, individuals can take as long as they need to grieve.”