Visitors to Hockliffe cemetery will notice that a white post box has been installed close to the bench in the centre. Having responsibility for the cemetery, the Parish Council wanted to help bereaved children and families with their grief by providing a unique way to remember their loved ones. We recognise that grief is a journey that each person experiences differently. One way which may bring some comfort is the act of writing down feelings or sharing thoughts on paper, whether that is at the time of loss, on an important anniversary or any date in the future.
This ‘Letters to Loved Ones’ post box is for anyone, especially children, wishing to write messages to those they have lost. This includes letters, postcards, birthday cards, anniversary cards, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards or Christmas cards – any simple written format the author wants it to be, regardless of when the loved one passed or where their funeral service took place. Our post box is available to anyone who feels they may benefit from it. It is not owned or serviced by Royal Mail, so no address or stamp is needed on any messages or cards put into it.
Every letter, message or card put into the post box will be treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality. They will be stored securely and will never be opened or read. Periodically, the post-box will be emptied, and the contents shredded and mulched. This will then be mixed with compost and wildflower seeds before being deposited at a suitable location, preferably within the cemetery or on nearby footpaths.
The installation of post boxes for the bereaved was the original idea of a nine-year-old Nottingham girl who had lost her much-loved grandparents and wanted a means by which to write to them. Her initiative led to community fund raising for a post-box in her local cemetery. Many people later spoke about the comfort they derived from use of the post box and the initiative has since spread to many other cemeteries, both in the UK and abroad.
We hope that visiting Hockliffe cemetery and posting a letter, card, or message to a loved one will bring some comfort to our bereaved. We understand that coming to terms with the loss of a loved one will be a personal journey which will consist of achieving a series of smaller and bigger milestones. We very much hope that the post box will help with that journey in some small way.
