Chance to send letters to much-missed loved ones with post box at Surfleet crematorium, which serves Spalding, Boston, Bourne, Sleaford, Holbeach and Long Sutton
A ‘letters to loved ones’ post box has been installed for family and friends to send messages to those who have died.
Lincolnshire Co-op’s Crematorium in Surfleet has adopted this scheme to provide people with a way to remember their much-missed loved ones with a letter or card, regardless of where their funeral was held.
Crematorium administrator Tracey Copping identified the need for a post box after seeing them become well-used elsewhere.
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.
Bosses have promised that 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, painted white, is 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 opening times at the crematorium, which serves a wide area including Spalding, Boston, Bourne, Sleaford, Holbeach and Long Sutton.
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.”
