HAVING to cope with the death of someone you love is one of life's most traumatic experiences.

But it is something we all face at some time or another and knowledge of that inevitable fact seems to help us to get through it and manage the variety of emotions that come into play.

The death of a child is a different matter all together and its impact is very difficult to even imagine.

Parents, brothers, sisters and even grandparents will all be devastated but the personal grief and feelings of isolation of a mum and dad at losing a youngster must be intense in the extreme.

And that's why the initiative of Rev Gill Dyer, a trained bereavement counsellor, in setting up a support group for such parents is such a good move.

She acted after conducting the funeral of Benjamin Dickinson who died suddenly when he was just four years old.

She realised she had carried out three funerals involving children in just ten months at her church in Lower Darwen and the nearest support group for bereaved parents she was aware of was in Bolton and had 60 members.

The group is non religious and as Benjamin's father Ian says in years to come he hopes to be able to give the sort of help he is getting to give other newly bereaved parents.

Such support is a truly practical way to ease the burdon of emotional agony.