A WIND phone intended to help those struggling with grief feel connected to lost loved ones has been installed in Winsford.

The old-fashioned rotary phone, which is not connected to anything, has been installed in a private wooden booth in the garden of remembrance at Fowles Funeral Services on Delamere Street.

The wind phone provides a safe space where people can talk to those they've lost, and while their loved ones won't talk back, just the act of reaching out can sometimes be a comfort, and can even help users move forward in their grieving process. 

The first ever wind phone was conceived and built in Japan in 2010 by garden designer, Itaru Sasaki, to help him process the death of his cousin.

It was then opened to the public in 2011 after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed 15,000 people, and has been used by more than 30,000 people.  

Dave Fowles, director of Fowles Funeral Services, is keen to embrace new ideas he believes may help the grieving families he works with every day.  

The wind phone provides a safe place for people to reach out to those they're grievingThe wind phone provides a safe place for people to reach out to those they're grieving (Image: Dave Fowles) While he acknowledges the wind phone ‘may not be for everyone’, their popularity worldwide ‘speaks for itself’. 

Dave added: “We all deal with losing a loved one in different ways, but given the opportunity, I think we’d all want the chance to talk to them one last time, even if they don’t talk back.

“The wind phone could be the right place to give people that chance. 

“Across the world, they're very popular, but there are currently currently only two in England, not including ours. 

“We’re often ask to do things which might be a little bit different, and this was one of those cases.

“We already have our letters to loved ones post box, which everyone is more than welcome to use.

“We realise this might not be for everyone, but when we asked people though our social media channels what they thought, we had lots of positive responses.”

The wind phone is now up and running, and is available for anyone to use.

Dave added: “You can just take a seat in our garden, leave a message, have a chat, and the wind will carry your messages to the one you love.”