Hive of Memories will allow grieving families send messages to lost loved ones at Peterborough Crematorium

A special post box to allow grieving relatives to send messages to lost loved ones has been placed at Peterborough Crematorium.

The Crematorium in Mowbray Road has introduced the ‘Hive of Memories’ located in a small garden by the entrance to the Book of Remembrance Room.

The idea came after the success of a similar scheme created at Gedling Crematorium in Nottingham, where a ‘Postbox to Heaven’ was installed. The scheme was started after a nine-year-old girl, Matilda Handy, suggested the heartwarming idea while looking for a way to express her emotions after her grandparents passed away. Similar schemes have since been set up across the country.

In Peterborough, for a small donation, mourners can write messages on paper impregnated with wildflower seeds that will be planted when the hive is emptied. Normal card and paper can also be used.

Danny Corr, the council’s Bereavement Service Manager, said: “Writing to a loved one after they have passed away, either in a letter or card, has been shown to help with the grieving process. There is something almost magical about letting your thoughts out onto paper and having somewhere to place them is also proven to be beneficial.

“The ‘Hive of Memories’ is a beehive shaped post box providing a focal point for letters and cards to be placed, especially on anniversaries and special occasions. A Beehive also aligns with the wildlife and biodiversity of our grounds and gardens. To encourage biodiversity and recycling we can provide recycled biodegradable paper, impregnated with wildflower seeds, for a small donation.

“When the post box is emptied at agreed intervals, we will plant the seeded paper in a specific area of the grounds to provide an area of wildflowers. All types of paper and card can be used to post messages.”

When the first box was introduced at Gedling, Matilda said the postbox also helped her with the loss of her grandad and hopes it can aid others dealing with grief.

She said: “We're doing these to be used by people when they walk past.

"It's been hard because my grandad passed away in November 2022 so it definitely did help me.

"It's just a very nice way to express my feelings and send a letter to them and to say how much I love them."

Matilda was the first to use the postbox and sent a letter containing a moving poem which read: "If heaven had a phone, Then I'd give you a ring. Just hear your voice and tell you, How my day has been.

"But it doesn't have a phone, To make missing you better, So instead I write my feelings down. And send them in a letter.

"I know that you'll be watching, As I write down every word, And I'll feel it when you reply, The unwritten and unheard."

For more information, or to purchase the wildflower impregnated biodegradable paper, please contact the Bereavement Services Office on 01733 262639 or email [email protected]