A crematorium has set up a ‘Postbox to Heaven’ so people can write to their relatives who have passed away - and the touching idea actually came from a nine-year-old girl.
Matilda Handy wanted to send letters to her late grandparents and her idea prompted a local crematorium to install the white and gold postbox for people to post ‘Letters to Heaven’.
Gedling Crematorium in Nottinghamshire, installed the special postbox in December and it has since already received nearly 100 letters from people wanting to pass on a message to a departed loved one.
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A notice on a plaque next to the postbox reads: “Letters to Heaven. Thank you for taking a moment to stop by our special post box.
“Whether you wish to write to your loved on on the day of an important anniversary or have no specific reason for doing so, this is a dedicated place for posting your letters.”
Matilda and her mum Leanne told ITV Central they hope the Postbox to Heaven is made a permanent fixture at the crematorium to help other families who are grieving.
Speaking to the news outlet, young Matilda said writing her own letters had allowed her to express her emotions.
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She explained: “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.”
Proud mum Leanne said since the box was put in place Matilda has received praise from people while out and about.
"It's been overwhelming how well it's been received,” she said.
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"We walk through Arnold which is the local town and strangers are stopping me saying 'it's beautiful' or 'can we use it?' and the answer is 'yes, of course you can'.
"Everyone is welcome here.” How lovely is that?
Site manager Giulia McDonough told ITV: "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.
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"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.”
Claire Reid