"Last year, my mum died. I've experienced friends dying too. There was a two-year period in which about six people close to me died.
"I'm 53, I don't have any health conditions, but this prompted me to sort out my will. I’ve decided to leave money to friends, interns and to an LGBTQ+ homelessness charity. That led me to thinking, well, I should sort out my funeral as well.
"I knew I wanted a green funeral. I visited Clayton Wood natural burial ground on the South Downs in Sussex, an area which I have a strong connection with, and bought a plot there. It's beautiful — there’s a wooded area and there’s going to be a wildflower meadow with some beehives.
"Originally, I wanted to have a cardboard coffin that people could decorate with messages, but I’m too tall, so instead I am making my own shroud. The outer will be made of patchwork leather. The liner is made from organic cotton printed in the UK, with messages on it.
"When I found the Poppy's website, it really spoke to me, it felt right. Meeting the Poppy’s team to make my funeral plan has been ridiculously empowering."