The family of a Sidmouth man who died unexpectedly are seeking to help other bereaved families in Devon and Cornwall in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death.
Chris Wade passed away in June 2023, and his family are now working with us to give families a more compassionate way of having a loved one’s belongings returned to them.
‘Compassionate Boxes’ are a not-for-profit organisation, providing specialist boxes with compassion and sympathy at their heart.
Earlier this month the group hand-delivered 30 boxes to Exeter Police Station.
The boxes contain a leaflet, knitted hearts, a lavender bag, a shoe bag, a poem - and knitted teddies for boxes to be delivered to children - and will be used by our Serious Collision Investigation Team to return belongings to families in a sensitive and sympathetic way.
PC Steve Greenway of the Serious Collision Investigation Team in Exeter said “The roads policing team deal with serious collisions every week and, sadly, many of these result in a tragic loss of life which is devastating for the friends and families of those involved.
“We recognise the importance of sympathy and compassion and will be making the boxes available to teams across the force area so that they can be used to return belongings to loved ones.
“We hope that the boxes will offer comfort to bereaved families and would like to thank Compassionate Boxes for their kind donation which will make a huge difference to those who have lost a loved one as a result of a collision in Devon and in Cornwall.”
The boxes will be distributed to Serious Collision Investigation Teams based in Plympton, Bodmin and Exeter who support road policing teams across Devon and Cornwall.
Marian from Compassionate Boxes said “Belongings being collected are a reminder of the person that families are grieving for.”
To learn more about Compassionate Boxes, visit: www.compassionateboxes.co.uk
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