A bereavement project offering residents a unique way to remember lost loved ones has expanded to a second North Tyneside cemetery.
A 'Letters to Loved Ones' post-box has already proven popular at Preston Cemetery in North Shields — now a second has been installed in the Book of Remembrance Room at Whitley Bay Cemetery.
The idea, put forward by E Turnbull & Son Funeral Directors and developed with North Tyneside Council, invites visitors to write personal letters to lost loved ones on wildflower-seeded paper. The distinctive white post-box was donated by the funeral director. Once posted, letters are collected and planted along the memorial walk, where they grow into a living floral display.
The Elected Mayor said: "The Letters to Loved Ones letterbox at Preston Cemetery has clearly meant a great deal to many families across North Tyneside, and I’m delighted that we’re now able to offer the same opportunity to people in Whitley Bay. Grief is something we all experience, and sometimes the simplest gestures bring the greatest comfort. I’d like to thank Ben and his team for coming up with the idea, donating the letterbox, and working so closely with the Council to make this possible.”
Ben Broadhead, from E Turnbull & Son, said: “We’ve seen first-hand how much this initiative has meant to families since it was introduced at Preston Cemetery and Tynemouth Crematorium, and we’re very proud to now help bring the letterbox and remembrance wave garden to Whitley Bay Crematorium as well.
“We hope both the garden and the opportunity to write letters and thoughts will bring comfort to people in Whitley Bay and the surrounding communities.”
The original letterbox at Preston Cemetery continues to be well used, and the Council expects the Whitley Bay addition to become an equally popular source of comfort for the community.”