An old Royal Mail postbox has been given a new lease of life after being installed in a crematorium for bereaved people to "send letters to heaven".
The white-coloured postbox has been erected in Gedling Crematorium, Lambley, Nottingham, in an effort to provide comfort to grieving families. It means that families and friends will be able to write messages, cards and letters to their loved ones, which they can then post in the box.
The idea was given the green light by site manager and memorial adviser Giulia McDonough, who said: "Like all Westerleigh Group's sites, it's our aim to have a very positive presence within our local communities, and I am delighted that the Letters to Heaven post box seems to have captured the imagination — and interest — of many people.
"We put a post about it on our Facebook page on 12 December, showing an image of the post box in situ, and within just a couple of days we had more than 16,000 people viewing the message and nearly 1,000 liking it.
She added: "We pride ourselves on being uniquely personable, and this is just that. We care so much about families in our community and since this has been installed the feedback we have had has been amazing."
The idea came from Matilda Handy, a nine-year-old schoolgirl, and she was the first person to use the postbox last month, posting her letter which contained a poem.
She wrote: "If heaven had a phone, Then I'd give you a ring, Just hear your voice and tell you, How my day has been. But it doesn't have a phone, To make missing you better, So instead I write my feelings down, And send them in a letter. I know that you'll be watching, As I write down every word, And I'll feel it when you reply, The unwritten and unheard."
Not only has the crematorium installed the postbox but it has also provided a new bench where visitors can sit down close by and lose themselves in their thoughts. The postbox will be open even at times when the crematorium office is closed.
As a neat little postscript, the postbox still contains the Royal crest with the initials E.R.
But Matilda and her mother Leanne want the post box to continue so people can send letters during anniversaries and holidays throughout the year. Matilda said that it had helped her grieve and speak to her grandparents in a way she thought she would never be able to.
"It was very nice because I'm very upset and it's just a very nice way to express my feelings and send a letter to them and to say how much I love them," she said.
Her mother said they had received praise from the community for their initiative. "It's been overwhelming how well it's been received," she said. "Strangers are stopping me saying, 'it's beautiful' or asking, 'can we use it?' — and the answer is yes of course."
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