North East Woodland Burial Site Joins The Tithe Green Family

We are pleased to share that a fourth site, Blue House Woodland Burials, joins the Tithe Green Natural Burial family.

We believe that when a loved one dies, everyone should have the option to choose a protected and peaceful place in nature for them. Our steady expansion across the UK is helping to bring the contemporary and considered choice of natural burial to a wider community.

We will continue the careful stewardship of Blue House, a beautiful mature oak forest, and offer woodland burials, direct cremation and interment of ashes to families around County Durham, Hartlepool, and the surrounding areas. You can read more about the site here.

We recently exhibited at the National Funeral Exhibition, and across the industry we heard and felt the demand for more natural burial grounds and a desire to know more about it as a choice. We will continue our mission to bring the most supportive and gentle offering to those in need during a time of grief as we continue to grow.

Tithe Green Blue House is open to visitors all day every day: Hurworth Burn Road, Wingate, TS28 5NR.

Press Release

A new chapter has begun for Blue House, an established woodland burial ground near Hartlepool, as it becomes part of the Tithe Green Natural Burial family.

Tithe Green is a small, family-run team who have been helping families arrange natural burials, cremations and interment of ashes since 1999.

Now led by James O’Donnell and wife Helena, the burial ground was started by James’ late grandmother on family land in North Nottinghamshire - land that had been cared for by the O’Donnell family for over 500 years. That same sense of care, continuity, and respect for the natural world continues to guide everything they do today.

The addition of Blue House marks Tithe Green’s fourth site, and their first in the North East. Already a peaceful and established setting, the site will be thoughtfully nurtured under Tithe Green’s stewardship; honouring those already laid to rest there while gently enhancing the landscape in keeping with their ethos.

Natural burial is, at its heart, about simplicity and returning to nature. At Tithe Green sites, harsh chemicals and unnatural materials are avoided, allowing wildlife to flourish. Marked by trees and bespoke wooden plaques, places of rest feel more like a part of the natural landscape than traditional tombstones.

While so many of us feel drawn to nature in life, few realise that we can choose to become part of it in death. Tithe Green exists to help people understand that option — offering guidance, simplicity, and time to talk through what it all means.

“What matters most to us is caring for the land in a way that people can trust,” says James O’Donnell. “When families choose a plot with Tithe Green, it’s theirs forever. There are no renewal fees, and each site is protected to eventually become permanent woodland. It’s about creating something lasting — for people, and for nature.”

This long-term thinking is paired with a strong sense of community. Tithe Green offers ongoing aftercare and support, including an online community moderated by certified bereavement specialists, helping families to feel connected and supported beyond the day of a funeral.

Families are warmly invited to visit Blue House, spend time in the landscape, and learn more about natural burial in their own way and at their own pace.