'Postbox To Heaven': Reconnecting with loved ones - A 10-year-old schoolgirl's dream come true

In cemeteries around the UK, a young girl's dream of a "postbox to heaven"—where she could write to her grandparents—has come true. 10-year-old Matilda Handy came up with the suggestion after both her grandparents died, five years apart. When Leanne, her mother, brought up the idea to the Gedling Crematorium in Nottingham last year, they enthusiastically embraced it, erecting an antique post box decorated in white and gold just in time for the holidays. They have now been implemented at 40 locations throughout England, Scotland, and Wales because the poignant project proved to be so successful.

Tribute to Grandparents

One reason the first "Letters to Heaven" box was so poignant was because Matilda's grandmother was a postal worker. In the first box, which was intended to console relatives missing loved ones on anniversaries and holidays, more than 100 letters were placed soon after installation. Since then, funeral directors in the UK have embraced the concept as well, and Leanne claims that other nations are following suit.

First Box Received Positive Feedback

Many individuals find great solace in sending something to their loved ones during the Christmas season, whether it be a child's picture or an elderly person's gift. This facilitates the procedure. The first box received positive feedback, which led Westerleigh Group, one of the biggest independent crematoria and cemetery owners and operators in the UK, to pledge to install memorial post boxes at all of its locations by the end of the year. It is estimated by the group that approximately 3,000 letters, cards, and messages have been placed inside the memorial post boxes up to this point. 

In addition, the schoolgirl wrote to King Charles asking if he would consider placing one outside Buckingham Palace in remembrance of deceased family members Princess Diana, Prince Phillip, and the late Queen.