Thinking 'outside the box'

Here at Tester & Jones Funeral Services, our families have often chosen beautiful, handcrafted Somerset Willow coffins. When Glenys and Jo visited the National Funeral Exhibition in Warwickshire a few weeks ago, they made sure they visited the company’s stand to say ‘hello’. While there, they were interested to discover that Somerset Willow has recently partnered with Outside the Box caskets.

As the company explains: “At Somerset Willow, we recognised early on that Outside the Box offered something genuinely different. Since entering the funeral sector in 1998, we have focused on providing families with meaningful, well-crafted alternatives to traditional coffins, products made with care and shaped by changing values around sustainability and personalisation.”

Outside the Box Caskets were created by New Zealand designer, Becs Bartells and are a cardboard casket ‘designed to feel natural and contemporary’. They are made from high-specification corrugated board, with a high proportion of recycled fibre (approximately 63%) and are fully recyclable and compostable. The coffins contain no plastic, metal or synthetic components. While they are made from cardboard, they have been ‘engineered for strength’ with a dual-wall construction and internal support system, for safe reliable handling.

The caskets are available as a plain coffin, which can be left completely natural or personalised by loved ones, if desired, while there are a range of printed caskets – including Blush Dahlia, Woodland Fern, Autumn Glow, Lavender Sunset. Union Tribute, Poppy Meadow, Highland Heritage and Tranquil Tides.

If you’d like to discover more about Outside the Box Caskets or any of the coffins we have available at Tester & Jones, do call us on 01892 611811 or pop into our office in London Road, Crowborough.