Oldham funeral director campaigns for 'post box to heaven'

Michael Lindup, funeral director and manager of Harold P. Heywood in Failsworth, is pressing to install a postbox at Hollinwood Cemetery so that Oldhamers can post letters and cards to their lost loved ones.

The idea comes after a nine-year-old girl in Nottingham, Matilda Handy, successfully campaigned for the postbox at Gedling Crematorium so that she could express her emotions and send letters to her late grandparents.

The youngster set up the post box so she could send letter to her grandparents after they died (Image: SWNS)

The post box itself is fittingly painted white, distinct from the red or gold Royal Mail post boxes in use, and has 'letters to heaven' inscribed on it.

Crematoriums across the UK are believed to be adopting the initiative and Michael said there is already huge support for one in Oldham.

He explained: "It was predominately aimed at children to give bereaved children the opportunity to send a letter up to heaven, whether it's their mum, dad, grandparents, brothers, sisters, whoever.

"But we've had loads of people saying it's a wonderful idea as they want to send cards on Mother's Day, birthdays and to their children - so it has opened up to all age groups.

"The good thing about it is that it's open to everyone, whatever they believe in as we all believe in a heaven, so to say.

"The idea is that it gives people a bit of comfort."

Michael Lindup said the idea is to bring people comfort while being in a public, accessible place (Image: Michael Lindup)

Michael said Hollinwood Cemetery would be the prime location for the post box as it's not only one of the largest in the borough in a central location but also has a crematorium on the grounds.

A spot by the main gate has been earmarked as the ideal location for the white letterbox, meaning people can stop off and post their letters without needing to venture into the cemetery if they don't want to.

"Unfortunately, we all have to go funerals and a lot of people attend crematoriums, so people attending could just stop off at the post box and pop in their letter while they're there.

"It would also bring a bit of brightness to the cemetery - a cemetery can be quite a dull and lonely place. It's not somewhere that you want to go to necessarily.

"Having this in Hollinwood would bring something a bit different to the cemetery and do something for the people of Oldham and get people together", he added.

Michael's parents are also in the funeral industry (Image: Michael Lindup)

Whilst Michael and his family, who run the Wild & Brierley and T Collins funeral companies in Oldham and Lees, are campaigning for the idea and liaising with Oldham Council, Michael has also offered to personally pay for the post box and maintain it.

Royal Mail postboxes are priced within the region of £120 to £160 but costs could spiral when it comes to installing it and Michael is hopeful a builder might be able to help.

Michael said: "Once we've been given the green light from the council, we can contact Royal Mail to see if there is a surplus of post boxes so then we could try and get another one placed elsewhere since people from all over, such as Middleton, have asked about it."

He said he would also like to see a dedicated plaque in memory of those lost which also praises Matilda for the "fantastic idea" - and so people know the origins of the initiative.

Matilda's 'letters to heaven' post box is in Nottingham (Image: SWNS)

When it comes to maintaining the post box itself, Michael said he is happy to take ownership of it since he is in the cemetery near enough every day - and the letters would be in trusted hands.

The manager explained: "No one is going to read them. No one's going to judge.

"It's personal - it's just between you and the person it's meant for."

Michael has suggested two ideas when it comes to 'sending' the letters - cremating them or burying them.

He continued: "Since it's in the perfect place by the crematorium, cremating the letters would be the simplest way - and it's like they're going to heaven in that way.

"The other alternative would be to have a little spot in the cemetery - and we could go one step further with a plaque there too - but we could bury them because paper has very little impact on the environment with around two to six weeks to decompose."

Hollinwood Crematorium (Image: Michael Lindup)

There is already a similar post box set up, but it's on the premises of a funeral company in Failsworth which Michael said differs from the cemetery plan as "it's not in a public place".

"To me, it defeats the object. People might not want to travel to a funeral service that they have no connection with. It's not the same.

"You could say that Matilda could've just put one in her back garden.

"The post box is for everybody who has lost someone, not just for people who have used one of our funeral services or another."

He also said Ukraine is an example, where Oldhamers could have lost someone overseas and might not have a dedicated place to remember them by but could easily send a letter via the cemetery post box.

He hopes the post box will be approved by the Council and has plans for an unveiling ceremony where perhaps the Mayor of Oldham could attend and lay some flowers, "just to dedicate it to the people and shed as much light on it as possible", he added.

But the bigger picture is to start a chain reaction, getting as many post boxes in public crematoriums as possible to benefit the people of Oldham. 

Councillor Hannah Roberts, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Matilda’s Postbox has touched the hearts of many bereaved people across the country.

“We’d like to thank Michael for the suggestion and also his generous offer to maintain the box.

“We are looking into the possibility of installing a postbox at a location in the borough and hopefully will be able to say more soon.”