Stokesley firm offering to scatter loved one's ashes from a DRONE

Christopher Mace started the Aerial Ashes Ltd business in Stokesley in North Yorkshire after completing his RAF service in 2020.

The business idea was inspired after he received requests from bereaved families during his piloting career asking whether the ashes of their loved ones could be released over the sea from his helicopter.

So after leaving the RAF, Christopher set about investigating the possibility of using a drone to scatter ashes and Aerial Ashes Ltd was formed.

Aerial Ashes Ltd drone over Guisborough

His innovative idea has now caught the attention of national funeral directors as part of a modern drive for more celebratory occasions after a death.

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Christopher said: “While flying Search and Rescue helicopters, I was occasionally asked to scatter the ashes of a former airman in the sea as part of a routine training mission.

"It was a lovely way for families to finally lay ashes to rest and when I started using drones later in my career, I could see there was a way for airborne ashes release to be more accessible.

“Cremation remains are surprisingly heavy, so it takes a capable drone to act as our carrier.

"Once this had been identified, I developed the ash-box with a technical firm in North Shields."

Laws governing drones are complex and releasing anything from the sky is tightly controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority, with whom Aerial Ashes have a specific Operational Authorisation.

And Christopher's firm will only scatter ashes over land with the landowner’s permission.

He said: “If we’re flying over private land, we have considerable freedom; however, for more public places including beaches, golf courses or moorland, we tend to operate early in the morning so that we’re well away from the general public."

According to the Cremation Society of Great Britain, cremation is now more common than burials with a rate of 77.05 per cent in 2018.

Aerial Ashes Ltd are based on Stokesley Business Park and can be contacted through their website.

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