Special post boxes where people can write private messages to family members and friends who have died have opened at eight cemeteries across Cheshire East.
Cheshire East Council's new Letters to Loved Ones scheme is intended to give visitors a personal way to share memories, mark anniversaries and birthdays, express their feelings or continue a conversation with someone they have lost.
The post boxes have been installed at cemeteries in:
- Crewe
- Meadow Brook
- Sandbach
- Nantwich
- Alderley Edge
- Wilmslow
- Congleton
- Macclesfield
A further box is due to be installed at Weston Cemetery in the coming weeks.
Letters will remain confidential
The council said letters placed in the boxes will be handled with dignity and complete confidentiality. They will not be opened or read.
Instead, they will be collected and returned to the cemetery grounds through composting, allowing the paper to support new growth within the landscape.
Councillor David Jefferay, the council's cabinet member responsible for the service, said grief was a deeply personal experience and that many people found comfort in maintaining a connection with those they had lost.
“The Letters to Loved Ones post box scheme provides a simple but meaningful outlet for remembrance, reflection and expression.
“We are delighted by the positive response we have received and hope the initiative offers comfort to those visiting our cemeteries.”
Support available from bereavement services
The scheme forms part of Cheshire East Council's work to ensure its cemeteries remain places of reflection, remembrance and community support.
Anyone seeking more information can contact the council's bereavement services team at bereavementservices@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
The story details, quotation and photographs were supplied by Cheshire East Council for editorial publication.
