'Letters to Heaven' postbox added to city cemetery

The white postbox was unveiled at Nottingham Road Cemetery

A 'Letters to Heaven' postbox has been installed at a cemetery in Derby.

The concept encourages people to write letters and cards to people they have lost, with the missives eventually turned into compost and spread around the site in Chaddesden.

It was installed by Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery, a group of volunteers who support the facility.

Group chair Scott Jarvis said he hoped it would help people who are grieving loved ones.

Scott Jarvis unveiled the postbox on Friday

"It’s a proven fact that writing things down actually helps people with the process, so hopefully this will be something that’s welcomed across Derby," he said.

"At one of our steering group meetings, we talked about the idea and one of the funeral directors said that she might be able to get us a box, so we took it from there."

The idea came from a nine-year-old girl from Nottinghamshire who told her mum she wanted to write to her late grandparents.

Similar schemes have been set up elsewhere in the UK, including a postbox that was donated by Royal Mail and installed at Gedling Crematorium in Nottinghamshire.

Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery arranged for the postbox to be donated, painted and installed.

Derby City Council will be responsible for maintaining and emptying the postbox when it gets full.

The plan is for the authority to collect the posted letters up on the last Thursday of each month, before shredding and composting them.

Mr Jarvis added: "Obviously, we can’t keep them forever. Nobody is going to read what is written, but the material will stay within the cemetery grounds."

The postbox will be emptied by the council on a monthly basis

Amanda Hadfield, vice-chair of Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery, said: "Having grieved myself and having lost my parents, I think it’s important that you can write a letter to that person just to say that you miss them, and it’s a good feeling for you inside.

"This can be used by all faiths, it doesn’t have to necessarily go to heaven, it can go to whatever your belief is.

"It doesn’t matter what faith, what religion, whether you’re religious or not. Anybody can use it."