A MOTHER will be buried cheek-to-cheek with her stillborn baby son following their tragic deaths which her family blame on an arson attack eight years ago.

Katie Louise James (née Perkins) of St Wulstan's Close, Evesham, will be laid to rest in the same coffin as son William who was delivered stillborn the day before.

Family attribute their deaths to an arson attack at The Glade in Malvern nearly eight years ago although post-mortem details have yet to be made public.

The funeral service will take place at Norton and Lenchwick Church at 2pm on Monday, July 18 and all are welcome to attend.

In a previous article Rose Perkins described her daughter Katie as 'a kind person' with 'a heart of gold'.

Mrs Perkins, 48, of Trinity Close, Evesham, said she wanted the best for her daughter's funeral, including four white horses adorned with pink feathers and covered in leopard print throws pulling a pink carriage and two pink Hummer limousines.

Drummers and bagpipes will feature in the cortege and there will also be a balloon release in her honour.

Mrs Perkins said: "Katie will be buried in the same coffin as her baby. The baby will be laid on her cheek.

"Katie would have loved the idea of the funeral and she would be helping to organise it all as well.

"We also had horses for my dad when he passed away two years before the fire and horses for Richard (her late husband who died in the initial arson attack). Katie loved horses. She loved all animals."

At the service there will be a reading of a poem which is cherished by the family and songs including 'Spirit in the Sky', 'Do you want to build a Snowman?' from Disney's Frozen, 'Amazing Grace', 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' by Aerosmith (chosen by Katie's husband Chris James) and Applejack by Dolly Parton.

This last song has gained a particular resonance for the family as Katie's daughter, Poppy, aged four, sang it to her as she passed away at the age of just 25 at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester on Tuesday, June 28.

Her son William, Poppy's baby brother, had been delivered stillborn the previous day.

Katie's family attribute her death to the emotional and physical damage inflicted by the fire which left her with breathing difficulties including asthma and caused harrowing flashbacks and nightmares.

We have previously reported how the fire at The Glade in Malvern on Monday, October 13 killed 38-year-old Richard Perkins, the husband of Rose Perkins and step-father of Katie Louise James.

The blaze was started by Stephen George-Davies who used petrol after he was punched and thrown out of the Perkins home for exposing himself to two women in the house.

It was Katie James (then Katie Perkins) aged just 17 who helped alert the rest of the family to the fire, saving their lives.

George-Davies was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22 years in prison but died on October 20, 2014 of natural causes.

The colour code for the funeral is pink, leopard print or white.

Katie's funeral is open to everyone and the family would appreciate donations to Merstow Green Funeral which can be reached at enquiries@merstowgreen.co.uk or by calling 01386 49903.