Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: TV And Film, Ant and Dec
Claire Reid
A nine-year-old girl who created a ‘postbox to Heaven’ to help grieving families has been praised on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
Matilda Handy came up with the touching idea after wanting to write to her own late grandparents to help come to terms with her grief.
Her sweet idea, lead to Gedling Crematorium in Nottinghamshire installing a special gold and white postbox was set up allowing people to send ‘Letters to Heaven’.
A notice on a plaque next to the postbox reads: “Letters to Heaven. Thank you for taking a moment to stop by our special postbox.
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“Whether you wish to write to your loved on on the day of an important anniversary or have no specific reason for doing so, this is a dedicated place for posting your letters.”
The scheme was so well received that other ‘postboxes to Heaven’ are being set up across the UK.
Last night, kind-hearted Matilda was praised Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and won a trip to Florida.
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In the segment, Dec announced: "We are coming to say hello to you... Matilda Handy. Hi, Matilda."
Before the camera cut to a very shocked Matilda sat in her living room with her family.
Dec continued: "Now, Matilda, we know that when your nan sadly passed away you came up with the idea of putting a postbox to Heaven in your local crematorium, where anyone could send letters to their loved ones. Now your postboxes to Heaven are being rolled out across the UK.
"You, Matilda, have a heart of gold. And you're getting a place on the plane."
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Matilda has previously revealed that she came up with the idea after her nan passed away and she found that writing helped her express her emotions.
She told ITV: “It was very nice because I'm very upset and it's just a very nice way to express my feelings and send a letter to them and to say how much I love them.”
Speaking about the roll-out, proud mum Leanne said: “There's going to be around 40 Westerleigh sites in England, Scotland and Wales that will have them.
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“We can walk through our local town and people will stop us and say how beautiful it is. Matilda's teacher told everyone how amazing it is. We're certainly proud of her, it’s helped her. If it can help her it can help a lot of other people.
“To think this little idea, to actually be in 36 crematoriums across the country and helping thousands of families, we just never even imagined it."