Conlig Nature Reserve proposal

S.Clarke+Son Funeral Directors Ltd is a fourth-generation family-owned business that understands the importance of addressing the biodiversity crisis in Northern Ireland. They also recognise how spending time in nature can support health and wellbeing, especially for those who have experienced loss. This awareness inspired the creation of the S.Clarke+Son Memorial Reserve Trust, a charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing our natural environment.

The charity operates entirely separately from the family business, but both share a strong commitment to giving back to the community. The charity’s main goals are to protect, maintain, and enhance natural biodiversity by creating and managing nature reserves, and to promote health and wellbeing by making these beautiful spaces freely accessible to the public, including bereaved families. The family business remains committed to supporting the charity’s efforts, reflecting a shared dedication to conservation and enriching the lives of people in the community.

The main aims of the nature reserve are to restore biodiversity, create a sanctuary for wildlife, and provide a peaceful environment for the public to reflect, remember, and connect with nature. We seek to enhance both environmental health and community wellbeing.

The nature reserve is focused on environmental conservation and enhancing community wellbeing. Our priority is to protect biodiversity and provide serene spaces for reflection and remembrance. It will not be used as a “green burial” site.

As part of making the reserve a place of remembrance and reflection, we hope to provide a centralised memorial. This could take the form of a metal tree sculpture, with leaves engraved with the names of lost loved ones. Any proceeds from these engraved leaves would be used to help maintain the reserve for future generations.

The reserve will be freely accessible to the public. Our goal is to provide a space where everyone can enjoy the beauty of nature, find peace, and reflect in a tranquil environment.

Having just acquired the site, we will now work with experts to develop a plan that maximises biodiversity and accessibility while respecting the existing heritage. Some aspects of these plans will require planning consent, which introduces uncertainty regarding timing. Therefore, we cannot currently specify when the reserve will officially open. However, certain parts of the site are already informally accessed by walkers, and we do not anticipate needing to restrict this access unless required periodically for health and safety reasons.