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BEREAVED people in Blandford Forum can now write letters to their loved ones that are no longer here thanks to a new postbox.
The Letters to Heaven postbox was installed at Blandford’s Cemetery in February.
Postboxes of this nature have become increasingly more common around the country after a nine-year-old girl, Matilda Handy, near Nottingham wanted to send letters and cards to family members that have passed away.
A Letter to Heaven postbox was installed at Gedlington Cemetery in 2022 and cemeteries and crematoriums around the UK have followed suit, with Blandford the latest to adopt the postbox idea.
Letters, postcards as well as birthday anniversaries, Mothering Sunday, Father’s Day, and Christmas cards can all be accepted in the postbox.
The contents will be securely stored and will never be opened or read. The post box is not operated by Royal Mail, so no stamp or address is needed.
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A spokesperson for Blandford Forum Town Council said: “Grief is a deeply personal journey, and everyone experiences it in their own way.
“There’s no set timeline for grief, and at Blandford Forum Town Council we truly understand that.”
Mayor of Blandford Forum, councillor Noc Lacey-Clarke chaired the town council meeting in February, when councillors agreed to introduce the post box.
He said the postbox is available to anyone who might find solace in it.
“It doesn’t matter when your loved one passed, or where their service took place,” he added.
Cllr Terry Clarkson posting the first letter to his much missed wife, Yvonne Picture: Blandford Forum Town Council
The first letter to be posted was from cllr Terry Clarkson who wrote to his beloved and much-missed wife, Yvonne.
The town clerk, Linda Scott-Giles and business support officer, Kat Clark have led this initiative.
Kat said, ‘We hope that visiting Blandford Forum Cemetery and posting a letter to your loved one brings you some comfort every time you visit.
“We understand that finding peace with the loss of a loved one is a personal journey, filled with both small and larger milestones.
“We hope this post box can be part of that journey.”
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