Scattering Ashes on Radio 4 – Feed Me To The Wind

Following the article this Saturday Guardian entitled: ‘What To Do With A Loved One’s Ashes’ was the Radio 4 documentary – ‘Feed Me To The Wind’ a half hour slot on the growing trend of people scattering cremation ashes and what rituals are starting to emerge.
The programme was excellent with views from members of the public and those involving in providing services. One lady had not collected her mother’s ashes, talking about the reasons why she hd laft them at the funeral directors for five years and why she was choosing to now to do so – fascinating stuff. Also interviewed was ‘our’ boat company on the river Soar that specialises in Hindu and Sikh ceremonies and ‘our’ company that scatters them from a bi-plane… and of course Scattering Ashes who were in full voice putting in an unashamed plug for the wonderful Viking Boat Urn.

My only beef with the programme was the chap who went on at length say how toxic cremation ashes are, whilst the programme did balance this up, those I spoke to took away the point that they ‘ [had] never realised that cremation ashes were high toxic!’, in truth they a pretty much inert. See the post: are cremation ashes toxic?

Catch it while it is still on – BBC iPlayer

The title of the programme ‘Feed Me To The Wind’ is a lyric from a song entitled ‘The joy of living’ by the folk singer Ewan MacColl. To be honest until speaking to the programme’s producer Caleb Parkin I had never heard of it, it is lovely song – really evocative, but then I can have a bit of an Achilles heal concerning sentimental ballads.

Producer – Caleb Parkin

Presenter – Amanda Mitchison

Tags: media