Westerleigh Group instals memorial post box at CDCH

Westerleigh Group has installed a memorial post box at the Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home (CDCH) in Cambridge, Gloucestershire, for people to write cards, messages and letters in memory of their pets.

The post box is identical to those which are being installed at all Westerleigh Group’s crematoria, to enable people to pay tributes to their loved ones, gaining therapeutic benefit from writing the messages.

The idea came from Matilda Handy, then aged nine, daughter of a memorial advisor, Leanne, from Westerleigh Group’s Gedling Crematorium, near Nottingham, as a way of her still being able to feel a sense of connection to her late grandparents.

Sam Herniman, from CDCH, said: “We approached Leanne after seeing her and Matilda on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night takeaway, talking about the memorial post boxes. We thought it was such a great idea and a nice thing to do, and we wanted to be able to offer the same facility to animal lovers, to help them remember their loved ones in a uniquely personal way.

“We were overwhelmed with the response we received, as Westerleigh Group’s Gedling Crematorium offered to donate a memorial post box to us, and also to make a £1,000 donation to CDCH in support of the life-saving work we do for so many animals.”

She added: “We could not be more grateful for the support and generosity we’ve had from Westerleigh Group. The bond between humans and their animals is truly something special, and they are often seen as just as much a family member as anyone else.”

Katie Capel, manager of Westerleigh Group’s North Wiltshire Crematorium, said: “We are pleased to be able to give a £1,000 donation to CDCH, as clearly the care and support they provide resonates with the work we do with our bereaved families.

“We hope that visitors to CDCH get just as much benefit from using the memorial post box there as we know Westerleigh Group visitors have gained all over the country.”