Roucan Loch Crematorium at Collin near Dumfries has unveiled a permanent special ‘letters to a loved one’ postbox within its Gardens of Remembrance.
Crematorium manager, Ruth Jardine, hopes it will bring some comfort to those in Dumfries and Galloway missing loved ones and during the year ahead.
She devised the concept of posting letters to a loved one during the Covid-19 pandemic – which had an overwhelming response. The new permanent postbox builds on that.
Ruth said: “Grief is a very personal journey with no specific time limit. Having seen how our unique approach of helping people connect with their loved one can have such a positive impact, we have chosen to make the post box a permanent feature at Roucan Loch which is available to all, regardless of when their loved one passed away or where the funeral service took place.”
She added: “The post box helps remember those whom we have lost in a uniquely personal way through writing letters, cards and messages and ‘posting them’.
“Every letter is treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality.
“They will never be opened or read and will be interred in The Forest of Remembrance.”
It has proved especially popular during the festive season with Ruth adding: “Recognising that Christmas can be a difficult time for many people as it magnifies feelings of loss and grief, but also reflecting that it can be a time to remember with gratitude the days shared with a loved one and to recall happy memories of times past, it is hoped that the act of writing down feelings and sharing thoughts on paper may bring some comfort to those bereaved at this time too.”
A free annual Christmas Memorial Service was held at Roucan Loch on December 19, which was packed out.
The service, aiming to bring some comfort to many, included music, poetry and reflection for those who have lost a loved one.
Meanwhile, Jardine Funeral Directors, which has been established in Dumfries since the 19th Century, has been named as the best funeral director in the south of Scotland for the fourth consecutive year.
It won the honour at the recent Scottish Funeral Awards.
The firm, which has been run by six generations of the same family, also won the Best Undertaker in Scotland Highly Recommended Award, while its Roucan Loch Crematorium and Woodland Burial Site won the Best Crematorium in Scotland Highly Recommended Award.
Managing director and funeral celebrant Mark Jardine, who was the catalyst for the development of civil funerals in the UK, and his wife, Ruth, who is business manager at Jardine’s and a funeral celebrant, attended the ceremony in Glasgow to receive their awards.
They said winning best funeral director was “an incredible honour and is testament to the dedication, compassion and care of our amazing team, who work tirelessly to support the bereaved”.
The pair added: “We are equally proud to receive the award of Scotland’s Best Undertaker Highly Recommended and Roucan Loch received Scotland’s Best Crematorium Highly Recommended.
“Since 1862, our six generation family business has served the local community with compassion, care and affordable prices. Thank you to everyone who supports and trusts us to care for their loved one with dignity and respect and to provide a service which we believe is second to none.”
The company is one of the longest established family firms in the UK and three generations of the family currently work there.
In addition, Roucan Loch’ annual inspection has received an outstanding report from Robert Swanson QPM, the senior inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors.
The inspector congratulated all staff at the crematorium for their “outstanding commitment and achievements” and the report said: “Roucan Loch Crematorium continues to perform to the highest of standards with no shortcomings noted in any area of the cremation process, with good practice observed throughout the different stages.
“It is with great credit to staff that over the years they somehow manage to improve on what was already a model of excellence with facilities for those attending the crematorium second to none.”