Children who lost their father to suicide send a 'Letter To Heaven' at new Lytham Crematorium postbox launch

Jon Nichol, a builder from Anchorsholme, painted the postbox by hand, and installed it after reading about a similar memorial in Nottinghamshire.

Jon, who lost his son, Luke, to suicide in May 2019, said: “This is about everyone within our community that has suffered the heartbreak of losing a loved one. We’ve all sat there wanting to tell them how much we love, cherish, and miss them so so much. What better way to express our feelings than to put pen to paper and stop by our special post box. If this helps one person like it did me then it’s worth it weight in gold.”

The "Letters to Heaven" post box is helping people to express their thoughts, deepest emotions, feelings, and messages to their lost loved ones.

Jon added: “This simple act of writing and sending letters can offer a profound sense of healing, and connection during the grieving process. The post box will be a sacred space for everyone within our community to use.”

Where is the Letters To Heaven postbox?

The white mailbox is located near the main entrance to Lytham Crematorium.

There is also one in Carleton Crematorium.

What is the ‘listening bench’?

A ‘listening bench’ was also donated by Doherty's Destiny – a suicide bereavement charity in Cleveleys.

The bench is in memory of Glenn Southern, and is the 7th one across the Fylde – and it’s inspired by the Ricky Gervais series, Afterlife, which is centred around a bench.

A spokesperson said: “Grief can be such an isolating experience, and sometimes all we need is somewhere to go and reflect like an emotional pressure release valve.

The Talking Bench will be a place where people can find comfort, support, in a tranquil setting. However, we cannot achieve these projects without your help to fulfill our vision of providing a space for healing and remembrance at Lytham Crematorium.