Westerleigh Group crematoria are inviting bereaved families to post letters into memorial boxes this Father's Day.

This commemorative act, offered at the group's sites in New Forest, Test Valley and Wessex Vale, serves as a poignant manner for individuals to honour their departed loved ones.

Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria, runs 40 sites across England, Scotland, and Wales, boasting beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance, offering a tranquil environment for people to reflect.

In addition to inviting people to post messages and Father’s Day cards, the group is organising various activities to mark the occasion.

Among such activities are the opening of chapels offering serene moments of reflection, personalised mementoes including flowers, wooden hearts and pebbles which can be placed at a memorial or taken home.

Other crematoria are offering memory trees to hang personalised tags and lighting of commemorative candles.

In the past year, over 3,000 letters have been posted in Westerleigh Group crematoria, suggesting that this simple act of penning a letter to a lost loved one provides comfort and a sense of connection for the bereaved.

Inspected by the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) in England and Wales as well as the Scottish Government, Westerleigh Group prides itself on providing exceptional care to the bereaved.

Westerleigh Group’s chief executive officer, Debbie Smith, said:"Father’s Day can be a particularly poignant time for those who have lost their father or father-figure, or for fathers who have been bereaved of a child.

"We welcome everyone to our beautifully peaceful crematoria grounds over the Father’s Day period and hope that they will gain comfort from their visit, and from being able to post messages and cards to their loved ones in our memorial post boxes."