Hayley Cropper's Coronation Street Funeral
An Eco-Friendly Soap Burial
I'm not an avid viewer (if anything
I actively try and avoid it) but sometimes you just can't avoid Coronation...
Normally I'm pretty successfully at blocking out the love affairs, the dramatic deaths, and pre-watershed, profanity-free arguments. However the other night Coronation Street was on and there was no escaping it. And this story line has been the focus of much media attention.
Normally I'm pretty successfully at blocking out the love affairs, the dramatic deaths, and pre-watershed, profanity-free arguments. However the other night Coronation Street was on and there was no escaping it. And this story line has been the focus of much media attention.
Hayley Cropper made waves when
she became the first transgender character is UK soap history, and in her
death she also sparked debate. As mentioned, I'm not a big fan of soaps in
general, but I do think they stimulate conversation on divisive subjects. In
the case of Hayley, that subject was assisted suicide.
Over 9.7 million people tuned in
to watch her final episode, and the critical and political reviews have been
glowing. However it wasn't her life story, her gender status, or the manner of
her death that caught my attention, it was her funeral.
Having an interest and involvement
in coffins and funerals, I am always keen to see how the media portrays them,
versus my experience of the reality. Most TV programs go for a funeral-by-numbers
approach of the mourners in black, somber hymns, and a dark wooden coffin.
However Hayley's funeral was a much more humanist affair. There was no vicar, no mention
of God, the mourners wore colourful outfits, and the coffin was
environmentally-friendly.
The fact that she chose a cardboard coffin, and it barely
even registers as being out-of-the-ordinary shows how far Britain has come in
accepting green funerals. It is no longer the preserve of eco-warriors and
alternative types. People now realise how beautiful, dignified, and caring a
green coffin can be.
Before her death Hayley had a wish for her burial that was
really quite poetic. You know, maybe soaps aren't so bad after all.
“She wanted to melt
back into the earth she said, be recycled by nature”
HAYLEY CROPPER
Alex Wilcox is Founder of Caring Coffins
www.caringcoffins.com
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