Manchester-based Sophia Lucop-Leech and Helen Lawson have created a range of unique bereavement cards and gifts inspired by their own personal experiences with bereavement.
After Sophia’s husband died last year the pair became close friends as they talked about dealing with grief; Helen’s brother died in a motorbike accident in 2000. After returning to a highly stressful job proved too difficult for Sophia, they formed www.inspiredgoodbyes.co.uk.
With over 18 million bereavement cards sent each a year there is certainly a market for this lovely new product concept.
There are on average 600,000 deaths per year in the UK and each one of those people deserves a special send-off. Inspired Goodbyes estimates estimate a bereaved family receives up to 30 condolence cards around this time, which equates to an estimated 18 million cards sent. With attitudes to funerals and bereavement changing, Inspired Goodbyes believe it’s time for change in retail, too.
Inspired Goodbyes’ cards are designed to encourage the sender to write a more personal message about the person that has died. Forget ‘With sympathy’ or ‘Sorry for your loss’ this range says ‘Let me tell you something about your lovely mum…’ and, ‘Did I ever tell you about the time…’ encouraging the sender to write something that means something.
The range of cards reflects the changing attitudes towards death in our country and reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Inspired Goodbye’s ambition is to create a more robust bereavement section on the high street.
