THE BRAVE Hampshire mum who started a new charity to help others to deal with the death of a loved one has found help from one of the South's best-known personalities.

BBC South anchorwoman Sally Taylor has pledged her support for Sally Stanley who launched the charity Simon Says after the death of her husband.

Sally Taylor said she was "staggered" to discover how little support is provided to recently bereaved children and is "very happy" to become the charity's patron.

She said: "I lost my mother when I was six and I know how painful that can be throughout your life. So having someone to talk to and support can ease that pain. "Like all good things it has taken a while before we launched Simon Says but we wanted to get everything just right. And I think we have!"

Southampton teacher Simon Stanley died two years ago, aged 37, after contracting cancer. He left behind a grieving wife and two children. Mrs Stanley found she was disappointed by the lack of support available to help recently bereaved families and decided to do something about it.

Charity trustee Iain Coleman, a close friend of the Stanley family, said the idea is to help others in similar situations.

He said: "We will provide information and guidance to any parents, teachers or children themselves who have family or a close friend that has died.

"As parents are going through the grieving process themselves it is a time when they need even more support to help deal with the children who may be displaying difficult behaviour. Children's behaviour changes. What do you say to them? How do you say it? What will they understand? That is what we are trying to help with.

"Initially we will provide information and guidance by telephone and then via a website. Depending on the volunteers we can attract and the money we can get, it could stem into all sorts of different things."

To find out more about Simon Says call 023 8064 7550.