A natural resting place

BY RETHINKING THE TRADITIONAL FUNERAL CASKET, WILLOW WORKER SOPHIA CAMPBELL CREATES COFFINS THAT HONOUR BOTH THE PLANET AND THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO REST IN THEM

Words: ALISON McCLINTOCK

A freshly lit candle flickers on a workbench, beside it sits a vase of newly cut flowers and a personal photograph. Not the usual tools of the trade for a skilled basket weaver, but then Sophia Campbell's work has a very specific job to do. When complete, the casket she is making will become a final resting place that holds and honours the life of an amazing human being. Today her small business is one of 10 in the UK that craft willow coffins. Once every town had their own coffin maker, but it's not a job description you see on many modern CVs. “When I'm introduced to people at events, they think I've said I make coffee,” Sophia smiles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, owning a business weaving caskets wasn't part of Sophia's original…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2022

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