A WOMAN whose husband was killed in a car crash wants to help other bereaved people by launching a new social group.

Mandy Whiting, 47, lost her husband Dave, 49, in January 2007 when he was killed on his way to work, leaving her to raise their daughter Amber, now ten, alone.

She recently decided she was ready to start socialising again, but after finding it difficult to find the right way to go about it, she decided to set up a social group for others who have also lost their partners.

Mrs Whiting, of Little Wakering Road, Little Wakering, said: “I just think there might be a need for this. It’s not an easy thing, but hopefully this will help people go forward with their lives, whether it’s finding new friends, finding someone to go places with or just having someone to talk to who knows what it’s like.”

She hopes the group, which is open to all ages, will help people talk about and remember their lost loved ones without feeling others see it as morbid or too sad.

Mrs Whiting said: “When I first lost Dave some people found they couldn’t or weren’t able to talk to me, because it’s a difficult subject.

“I personally don’t think we talk about death enough. We should be more open to it because it’s a natural part of life that comes to us all in the end.

“For some, sadly it comes sooner than others, and for the ones left behind there’s a huge void and so much sorrow, but it can help to talk.”

Although having the common ground of bereavement sounds very sad, Mrs Whiting feels people who share that bond will feel able to take the first step back to socialising in a pressure-free environment and free of expectations.

She added: “This is something I feel would be nice to do – helping people meet others to form friendships and enjoy events together.

“People can be used to doing things with their partner, and once they are on their own they often miss out on that.”

The idea behind the social group is to help people remember their loved one, while also looking towards the future.

Mrs Whiting said: “I have found a lot of people struggle with whether it’s ok for them to move on.

“Hopefully this idea will lead to positive things for people. I want it to be positive and to allow people to share things together, from laughter to tears and everything in between.

“Everyone will have experienced their own loss. You never forget, you live with it for the rest of your life, but it’s also about getting on with your life too.”

The free meeting is taking place from 7.30pm until 10.30pm at the Roslin Hotel, in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, on Saturday, February 5.