A Grimsby family has donated a special post box to Grimsby Crematorium to help anyone who are suffering with the loss of a loved one.
Lauren Swales and Jack Lamyman lost their unborn son Teddy to a miscarriage in June when Lauren was four months pregnant.
Together with their nine-year-old daughter Polly, they started a fundraising campaign to install a ‘letters to heaven’ post box for the memorial area in the crematorium grounds.
The post box gives bereaved families somewhere to post messages, drawings, birthday and Christmas cards to their loved ones.
Jack and Lauren said they’d seen similar post boxes in other areas and thought it might help other bereaved families who are coming to terms with the loss of a child.
Lauren said: “We’ve never lost a loved one as close to us before Teddy. This is going to help us a lot and we hope it will help other families who have lost a baby or child.
“I’ve seen people leave cards and notes in the memorial garden, but something like this protects them and helps save them from getting wet. We want to come here to post Teddy his first Christmas cards and birthday cards.”
Jack said: “The memorial garden is a wonderful place for people to come and reflect on their loss.
“This means the world to us and we hope it helps other families who have suffered the loss of their precious babies. Although it can be difficult sometimes to know what to say, it helps having somewhere to put your thoughts instead of shouting into a void.”
Bereavement services staff Daniel Intress-Franklin and Augustine Harsent worked with the family to bring the new post box to the crematorium grounds. It’s there for anyone to use to send a message to someone they’ve lost.
Daniel said: “We’re really grateful to the family for making this happen. It’s a wonderful addition to the grounds and we’re pleased to have been able to help.”
