Capture life's best moments, wishes and treasures for those that matter most in your circle. Looking after life's little treasures
Our Mission
We formed LOCKET with one simple - but important - purpose:
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To reduce the number of people who pass away without their intentions being known, by leaving clear guidance to their next of kin.
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A form of confusion avoidance insurance as it were, with sentimental messaging built in.
Our Story
LOCKET was born out of two incidents. One stung like a wasp and set us on this journey to bring LOCKET to life. The other sprung from a powerful realisation that an item's value isn't its financial worth.
How LOCKET Began:
The Curious Coconut & Other Tales
​A Personal and Painful Loss
My Mum, Diana, died back in 2011. She left us too early - and the family was both broken-hearted and clueless to her wishes. She was very much a "Why do I care? I won't be here, so just sort it out amongst yourselves!" type. I wish she hadn't left so quickly and so soon, but we had to do our best by her.
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My background is in IT, so it was relatively easy for me to search her laptop for clues (I had previously set it up for her). In the end I found three different Letters of Wishes in various states of completeness. Each gave clues as to her intentions, which largely related to jewellery. The problem was this: Mum knew what she intended to leave, to whom, but we didn't have the foggiest! Which ring was her '25th Wedding Anniversary ring', for example? And who could we, her children and grandchildren, ask? My father, unfortunately, was in no state to help. It was a long, painful process: we tried and tried but couldn't piece it all together. We couldn't find some of the items she mentioned, let alone identify them. Worst of all, some of the items were pledged to more than one grandchild. In an already difficult time, the realisation was heart breaking.
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We did the best we could, but the situation caused considerable heartache; and I know my mother would have been pained (and mortified) if she could have borne witness. For example, I have two daughters, and the confusion surrounding my mother’s wishes impacted them greatly – not financially, but emotionally. Both were promised a keepsake, but because we couldn’t reconcile my mother’s intentions with the items she’d left, one of them had to go without. This caused real distress and confusion: not only because we all knew it was not what my mother would have wanted – for one daughter to be singled out – but also because one of my daughters felt diminished and unloved as a result.
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I don’t have adequate words to describe just how painful the situation was, and how deeply we wished things could have been different – but I knew, even then, that there must be a better way. So, once the dust had settled, I started to think about a solution. About how clarity could be achieved; and how this might bring real comfort to families who were grieving. With this in mind, I have to end this rather sad tale with a big thank you to my mother (who is sorely missed): because the experience, challenging as it was, did give me the idea for LOCKET. I hope it will bring peace of mind to a great many people. So what is LOCKET - click here to find out?
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Thank you, Mum. x
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If you want to make sure your next of kin are fully insured from pain and confusion, download Locket from the Apple App Store and try it out completely for free for 5 day, no subscription or cards required. It's designed to be simple and easy to use.
The Curious Coconut
The story of the 'curious coconut' begins with my 103 year old nan, Nora Miller. When she died, each of her grandchildren wanted to inherit the same keepsake: Nan's famous coconut.
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This old coconut, still in it's husk, had been a fixture of Nan's living room for as long as any of us could remember. It was remarkable for three reasons. First, it was old. Second, one half of it was painted black. On top of that - painted in olive green - was Nan's London address. Third ,on the opposing side were 2 tiny stamps proudly bearing the portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II. A curious artefact for sure....
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The story of how this coconut came into Nan's possession is quite simple... but no less remarkable. In the fading days of the British Empire my dad, Michael, had been in the Royal Air Force. One of his postings was to be stationed at Salalah in Oman. During this posting, Dad commandeered said coconut, painted it, stuck two stamps on it (a shilling and six pence in case you wondered) and handed it to the airfield postmaster. It had then been flown, shipped, sorted and delivered to Queen Mary Road, London. Quite what the post man thought when he delivered it we will never know!
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But what we do know is what the coconut was worth to our family (not financially, but emotionally). Quite simply - to the right people - an item like that is priceless.
