A CHARITY that offers support to grieving children and young people in Worcestershire has been given a major cash boost thanks to a bereaved family.

The Noah's Ark Trust has been given £1,000 from the Make A Difference campaign - a joint venture between the Worcester Round Table and the Worcester News.

Worcester woman Susan Graham, aged 48, felt compelled to put the Lowes-charity, based in Lowesmoor, forward for funding after her 44-year-old partner Kevin Cooper died of a heart attack in December 2004. Miss Graham of Malvern Close, Lower Broadheath, said Mr Cooper's son James, who was 11 at the time, was left devastated by the loss.

"James didn't talk much about his dad so someone at his school suggested getting in touch with a bereavement councillor, that's why I called Noah's Ark," she said. "The councillor was really good, James bonded with him really well.

"He took him out and play football and do most of the things his dad did."

She said an organised trip to the Malvern Hills Outdoor Education Centre with other bereaved children helped the two of them get over their loss. "It was hard but it was what we needed," she said.

Miss Graham said James, who is now aged 13 and attends Chantry High School in Martley, used the charity's services for about six months, but she is still involved in helping to organise events and raise funds. "It's amazing what they do and how they do it," she said.

Community fund-raiser Mary Irish said: "When she saw the Make a Difference Campaign in the Worcester News she decided to nominate our charity because the bereavement support offered by the us had made a huge difference to James. Miss Graham knows how important community funding is to Noah's Ark Trust."