HIS brave battle against cancer touched the hearts of a community.

When school teacher Simon Stanley died last August, aged 37, his courage had led to a fund being set up in his name to ease his suffering, which raised £17,000 in just six months.

But his widow Sally and two young sons then discovered that the support that he received was not forthcoming when they needed to cope with their grief.

Now Mrs Stanley is launching a charity - called Simon Says - as the first organisation in Hampshire to offer bereavement support for youngsters.

The patron will be BBC South Today presenter Sally Taylor, who lost her mother to breast cancer when she was a child.

Sally also allowed TV cameras last year to follow her progress when she had a double mastectomy after falling victim to the same illness.

Mrs Stanley, 35, said her husband, who was PE co-ordinator at St Patrick's School in Woolston, Southampton, had not needed all the money raised, so that the remainder had been used to help set up Simon Says.

She said: "We are hoping to launch the charity in the autumn and it will be the first organisation to offer bereavement support for children in Hampshire because there is nothing in place at present.

"There are about 1,400 youngsters in the county every year affected by the death of a parent or other close relative.

"At first we will offer information only but we are looking to run helplines.

"This is something significant in Simon's memory and I hope he would be proud.

"We have been granted financial support from HSBC for three years and that will run into tens of thousands of pounds.

"Similar groups in other counties say it costs £100,000 a year to run their services."

Mrs Stanley, of Tutor Close, Hamble, is due to return to her job today as an audiologist at the Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton, for the first time since Simon's death.

She said problems getting counselling for her sons, Andrew, six, and Tom, three, had made her determined to help other children.

Simon Says is currently being established as a charity through the Charity Commission.

It has organised its first charity ball, at the Botleigh Grange Hotel, Hedge End, from 7.30pm on Saturday, August 18, to raise funds.

Tickets, which cost £40 per person, include a four-course dinner and live entertainment.

They are available from Sue Adams on 07748 147739 or Breda Curtis on 023 8039 4765.