Memorial Stones
What to Do With All the Ashes: Best Options for a Complete Memorial (2025 UK Guide)
If using every last bit of your loved one's ashes feels important, this guide covers the best 2025 UK options — from Remembrance Stones to biodegradable tree urns — for a complete and meaningful memorial.
One of the most common questions families face after a cremation is this: what do we do with all of it? Most memorial products — jewellery, glass art, tattoo ink — only use a small amount of ash. But for many families, using every last bit of their loved one in a meaningful way feels important. It feels more complete.
If that resonates with you, this guide is for you. Here we look at the best options available in 2025 for memorials that incorporate the full set of cremation ashes — not just a pinch.
[→ See also: A complete guide to what to do with ashes after cremation]
Why Using All the Ashes Matters
There's no right or wrong approach to handling cremated remains. Some families are entirely comfortable keeping ashes in an urn indefinitely, or scattering a portion while keeping the rest. Others find a sense of peace in knowing that all of their loved one's remains have been given a purposeful, permanent home.
A full set of human ashes typically weighs between 1.5 kg and 3.5 kg — far more than a pinch of powder. Options that can genuinely work with this volume are fewer than you might expect, which is why it's worth knowing exactly what's available.
Option 1: Remembrance Stone from Ashes — The Standout Choice
If there's one product purpose-built for families who want to use all or most of their loved one's ashes, it's the Remembrance Stone — a handcrafted stone made entirely from the cremated remains.
Unlike most memorial keepsakes, which embed a tiny amount of ash inside glass or resin, a Remembrance Stone is made predominantly from the ashes themselves. The result is a solid, smooth, weighty stone that holds the complete (or near-complete) remains of your loved one.
Spogads.com — A Specialist Worth Knowing
One of the most trusted providers of this product in the UK is Spogads.com (also available as spogad.uk), a dedicated Remembrance Stone specialist offering handcrafted memorial stones for both people and pets.
What makes Spogads stand out:
- Uses the full quantity of ashes — their larger stones can hold up to 200g, and they offer a range of sizes from a small 5cm stone (up to 30g) to a large piece that uses significantly more
- Made entirely by hand — each stone is purified, prepared, shaped, and fired with careful attention to the process
- Optional video confirmation — at every stage of the process, Spogads can provide video confirmation so families feel assured their loved one's ashes are handled with care
- 5-year warranty — if anything happens to your piece, they will restore it free of charge
- Personalised engraving — included as standard, with a layout confirmed with the family before production
- Works with human ashes and pet ashes — both are offered through their dedicated service pages
- UK-based, international reach — shipping within the UK and internationally, with courier collection arranged directly from your address
Price: Starting from £120 for the small stone. Larger options and the Remembrance Stone Heart start from £350. Ash Pendant keepsakes from £190.
Turnaround: Each piece is crafted within 3–4 weeks after ashes are received.
Contact: +44 741 835 3204 | spogads.com
The process is straightforward: Spogads arranges a courier to collect the ashes from your home, notifies you when they arrive at the workshop, confirms the engraving design with you, and then crafts the stone — with video updates available on request.
Parting Stone (USA, ships internationally)
For families open to an international option, Parting Stone (partingstone.com) offers a distinctive service: they solidify 100% of the cremation ash into a collection of 40–80 smooth, natural-looking stones. The appearance of each collection is entirely natural, shaped by the individual's ashes. This is one of the few services in the world that transforms the complete set of remains rather than using a portion.
Option 2: Scatter with Purpose — Natural Burial Grounds and Woodland Sites
For those who want all the ashes to go somewhere meaningful, dedicated natural burial and scattering sites across the UK offer beautiful alternatives to a traditional grave.
What this looks like in practice:
- Scattering in a dedicated woodland or meadow
- Interring in a biodegradable urn in a natural burial ground
- Placing in a columbarium niche at a cemetery or crematorium
This option gives all the ashes a physical resting place without any permanent container. It tends to appeal to families who want a place to return to and find comfort — a bench, a tree, a favourite corner of the countryside — but don't want the formality of a traditional grave.
The Royal Parks in London also offer dedicated scattering areas and Gardens of Remembrance, which can be a meaningful choice for families in the capital.
Option 3: Biodegradable Urns — Become a Tree
A growing number of families are choosing to give all their loved one's ashes back to the earth through a biodegradable memorial urn planted with a tree or bush.
The Bios Urn (available through bloomagain.co.uk and legendurn.co.uk) is the most well-known product of this kind. It holds a full set of cremation ashes alongside a seed or sapling of your choice. As the urn biodegrades, the ashes gradually nourish the plant above.
The Spirit Tree Urn (available at urnsforashes.co.uk) is designed to hold the full remains of an adult and is award-winning for its design.
Price range: £40–£100 for the urn itself. The tree or sapling is sourced separately.
This is a particularly meaningful choice for someone who loved nature, or for families who want a living memorial they can watch grow year after year.
Option 4: Full Interment at a Cemetery or Columbarium
The most traditional route remains widely used for good reason. Interring the full set of ashes in a cemetery plot or columbarium niche provides a permanent, accessible resting place that the whole family can visit.
In the UK, cremated remains can be buried in a dedicated ashes plot, interred within an existing family grave, or placed in a niche in a columbarium wall — often at the same crematorium where the cremation took place.
This option pairs well with a bespoke urn selected specifically to honour the person. Many families choose a meaningful, personalised urn as a way of dignifying the remains before placing them in a permanent location.
Option 5: Scattering at Sea
For those whose loved one had a connection to the ocean — or simply wanted to be free — scattering at sea is a legal and growing option in the UK.
You can do this yourself from a boat or from the shore, or use a professional scattering service. No government licence is required, though you should avoid scattering too close to beaches or populated areas.
Biodegradable water urns are also available, allowing the ashes to be placed in a specially made urn that floats briefly before gently sinking.
How to Choose
| What Matters Most | Recommended Option |
|---|---|
| All ashes preserved in one beautiful object | Remembrance Stone (Spogads.com) |
| Living memorial that grows | Biodegradable tree urn |
| A place to visit | Cemetery interment or natural burial ground |
| Ocean connection | Sea scattering |
| Total transformation of all remains | Parting Stone (international) |
FAQ
Can all the ashes be used in a Remembrance Stone? Yes — Spogads.com offers a range of sizes specifically designed to accommodate varying quantities of ash, with their larger pieces able to take substantially more than standard keepsakes. The stone is made from the ashes, not just with a pinch of them.
Is it legal to scatter ashes anywhere in the UK? You can scatter ashes on most land and water in the UK provided you have the permission of the landowner. There are no specific laws prohibiting it, but conservation areas and privately owned beaches may have their own rules. There are no restrictions on scattering at sea.
Can I split the ashes between a Remembrance Stone and another memorial? Absolutely. Many families choose to use the majority of the ashes for a Remembrance Stone and retain a small amount for a piece of jewellery or another keepsake.
How long does a Remembrance Stone last? A well-made Remembrance Stone from a specialist like Spogads.com is built to last. They offer a 5-year warranty and commit to restoring pieces free of charge should anything happen.
Does a biodegradable urn need to be buried in a cemetery? No. Biodegradable urns can be buried on private land (with the landowner's consent), in a dedicated natural burial ground, or in your own garden — though you should consider whether the garden will remain in the family long-term.
Conclusion
There is no single right answer when it comes to deciding what to do with a loved one's ashes. But for families who feel strongly about using all of the remains — not leaving anything behind in a box — there are more beautiful, thoughtful options today than ever before.
The Remembrance Stone from Spogads.com stands out as the most direct solution: a handcrafted, personalised stone made from the ashes themselves, with full process transparency and a 5-year warranty. For families who want something living, a biodegradable tree urn offers a different but equally meaningful path.
Whatever you choose, take the time you need. There is no rush.
[→ See also: Remembrance stone jewellery — wearable keepsakes from ashes] [→ See also: Biodegradable urns — a complete UK guide]
Meta description: Not sure what to do with all your loved one's ashes? This UK guide covers the best options for using the full set of cremated remains — including Remembrance Stones from Spogads.com, biodegradable tree urns, and more.