London, England -- The Academy Awards of the British funeral industry were held yesterday (Apr. 18) at a crypt underneath a church on the site of the first nunnery to be built in London.

The Natural Death Handbook Awards honor funeral directors, cemeteries, crematoria, coffin manufacturers, and natural burial grounds who help the bereaved to create the funeral they want.

According to one organizer, "Death is one of society's final taboos. We want to see it become an unexceptional topic for everyday conversation and meditation."

Awards were handed out to South Downs Natural Burial Site at East Meon for Best Natural Burial Ground; Best Cemetery and Best Crematorium both went to Carlisle Cemetery; Best Funeral Director went to Peace Funerals of Sheffield; and Best Coffin Manufacturer went to SAWD Ltd. for it's Bamboo Eco Coffin made almost entirely of bamboo.

Solve puzzles and create your dream aquarium! Search through a dazzling trip down memory lane.

More Weird News From 2004-04-19 The day's offbeat stories from around the world. • Around The Weird: Bizarre News Briefs • Flash Lites: Rip 'N' Read Pop Culture Recap • O-Ren, Oh My! • Dream Hotline Open For Business • Life Is Puckish For Hockey-Loving Soap Star • 'Friends' Gone But Not Forgotten • Sophie B. Hawkins: A Stripper's Best Friend • History Repeats For Tommy Smothers • Death To The Taboo Of Death • Idaho Man Is 'Richard Clarke Of S.U.V. Terrorism' • Use Sex, Booze And Candy To Cure What Ails You   « Current Weird News Stories