White postbox for letters of grieving families

A white postbox has been installed in a town's cemetery to allow people to leave messages for late loved ones.

Wadebridge Town Council said the Letters to Loved Ones post box in Egloshayle Cemetery would "provide a quiet and meaningful way" for people to "stay connected with loved ones they have lost and miss".

The council said it was available to everyone visiting the cemetery to post letters and cards with each one "treated confidentially and with complete respect".

The special white boxes have become a feature in cemeteries and crematoriums across the country following the original idea from a nine-year-old girl from Nottingham who wanted to write to her grandparents who had died.

Wadebridge Town Council, who will own and manage the box said the letters and cards do not need a stamp and would never be opened or shared.

It said on the last Friday of each month the messages would be "respectfully removed" and shredded

The material would then be composted and used within the cemetery grounds.

The council said it understood "the upset and anguish that the loss of a loved one may cause and that grief affects everyone differently" and hoped the postbox would provide some comfort.

Similar boxes have previously been erected in a memorial garden in Truro and a cemetery in Saltash.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.