Kettering memorial company hopes for more 'letters to heaven' schemes after Raunds cemetery success

A owner of a Kettering memorials company who supplied a plaque to accompany a Letters to Heaven scheme says the it has been so popular more may be installed.

Michael Maynard, head mason at Maynard Memorials, was asked to produce a stone plaque explaining the postbox in Raunds.

The memorial post box was installed at the London Road Cemetery, offering mourners the chance to post a private letter to deceased loved ones.

‘Heavenly Post Boxes’ have been set up at several crematoriums across the country, after grieving Nottingham schoolgirl Matilda Handy wanted a ‘post box to heaven’ after her grandparents passed away.

Mr Maynard said: “Maynard Memorials Kettering were proud to have been asked to do this and it the first of its kind in the county.

"The idea is for the bereaved to post their prayers, thoughts or wishes, into the box, and is mainly is targeted at children to help with the grieving process.

“Many children will write to Father Christmas and put the letter in the fire, and the Letters To Heaven works in a similar spiritual way.

“As a spiritual person myself, I think this is a wonderful idea, anything to help with the awful grieving process is ok in my book.

"We are in talks with other councils who are inspired by the idea.”

In Raunds, Letters can be written on biodegradable paper impregnated with wildflower seeds, which can be collected from the Cemetery Chapel.

Mr Maynard was contacted by staff at Raunds Town Council who wanted to source, install and supply a small plaque to explain how the post box works.

The plaque states that Royal Mail do not service the box, but the Town Council does. It also says this box is for messages to loved ones who have died.

Letters can be written on biodegradable paper impregnated with wildflower seeds before being collected for planting in the cemetery grounds

Collected letters will then be planted in the cemetery grounds when the postbox is emptied.

Every letter or card put into the memorial post box will be treated with ‘the utmost respect and confidentiality’. There will be a designated area for the planting of the wildflower seed paper.