Post box to help people process grief

A ‘Letters to Loved Ones’ post box has been recently introduced for family and friends to send messages to those who have passed away.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Crematorium in Surfleet, South Lincolnshire has adopted this scheme to provide people with a unique and inclusive way to remember loved ones.

Regardless of where a funeral was held, the crematorium welcomes members of the public to send a letter or card to post their thoughts.

Tracey Copping, Crematorium Administrator, identified the need for a post box in the local community as this scheme has become popular with other cemeteries and crematoria.

She said: “I was inspired by the local cemetery in Spalding last year where a similar post box was installed and I believe this will be well received.

“Posting a letter can help people feel that their loved one is still close to them, especially when going through important events in their lives.”

Every month letters are collected, shredded and composted. The compost is then placed into the crematorium grounds to re-generate the soil. For environmental reasons, it is asked that all post is made of compostable paper.

Each letter is handled with respect and remains confidential to those who have posted them and are not opened under any circumstances.

The post box, that is painted white, is located next to the memorial garden. This area contains benches for visitors to sit and reflect, surrounded by gardened areas.

Both the post box and memorial garden are accessible during the crematorium opening times.

Oliver Thompson, South Lincolnshire Crematorium Manager, said: “Using the post box is very different from a memorial as it isn’t personalised to one person. This has been designed to be inclusive so that anyone and everyone can use it, wherever the funeral has taken place.

“We understand that everyone deals with grief in their own way, and it is important to us that our community have different ways they can express their emotions when a loved one is no longer here.”