Supplier News
David Holmes, CEO of Ashes to Blooms, speaks of the grief journey that led to founding the company.
David Holmes, a lawyer by profession, is the founder of Ashes to Blooms, Sussex Seed Balls & Pet Ashes to Blooms, eco businesses based in Worthing, West Sussex, next to the South Downs National Park. Ashes to Blooms specialises in making bespoke seed balls containing ashes, helping clients to create wildflower memorials to their loved ones.
"Anyone who has lost a loved one, whether a family member, friend or animal companion, knows the pain and emptiness we feel when they die; this is a pain that we will likely all feel a number of times during our lives.”
"My pet Netherland Dwarf rabbit, known as Lucy, was my best companion for almost 12 years. By early 2022, Lucy was suffering from arthritis and, in late January of that year, I made the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep.”
“The vet gave me several options for dealing with Lucy's body. Including taking her home with me, or sending her for group or individual cremation. I didn't have a garden to bury her in, and didn't want her to be in a box on the mantelpiece, which didn't seem like a fitting end for a girl who was so full of life and naughtiness. And so, in the moment, I opted for the group cremation”
"As well as the grief, I also felt a lot of guilt for allowing Lucy to be sent for a group cremation. It made no difference to her, but I very much felt that I hadn't given her the resting place that she deserved.”
"During this period, and out of curiosity, I spent hours online searching for alternatives to burial or cremation, as well as ways of making use of ashes. Scatter tubes are one way to spread our loved ones ashes. Ashes can be fused with glass to create unique pieces of art, or they can be added to a bespoke piece of jewellery, or even turned into a diamond.”
"There are some beautiful options out there, but I felt that none of them would have been right for my Lucy. I, therefore, founded Ashes to Blooms, to provide other people with what I feel would have been a fitting tribute to Lucy.”
"Ashes to Blooms takes some of the ashes of a loved one, whether a beloved person or a special companion animal, and combines them with a combination of UK native wildflower seeds and other natural ingredients to create bespoke seed balls, Families can also choose the flower varieties used, or choose from a range of specially selected seed mixes.”
"Customers can then give these to friends and family (or keep for themselves) to scatter in a special place and watch their wildflower memorial grow. This is what I would have wanted for Lucy.”
"We have since expanded the service to offer wildflower funeral favours. Our bespoke animal service is also set to launch later in 2024, Pet Ashes to Blooms.”
"Unfortunately, we lost my brother, Andrew, in August 2022, aged 40. Andrew was a tech investor and worked hard with me in developing Ashes to Blooms. After Andrew's passing, my mother suggested using some of Andrew's ashes to make seed balls. Hand-rolling the seedballs was very cathartic for me, and I felt honoured that my family had trusted me with the last physical part of Andrew which remained on Earth.”
"In the spring of 2023, we each planted Andrew's seedballs in our gardens and in planters on our balconies, and he has since been growing with us, each summer. During the winter he goes into hibernation, and he will be back next summer, and we await his return”
“There is an endless and increasing range of wonderful ideas out there for putting our departed to rest. There is no one "right" way to do it, but I hope that I have been able to offer grieving families another option for the final resting place of their loved one. My family will never have my brother back, but knowing that he is growing on my balcony, and will return year after year, does provide me with comfort."