We must all realise that the broad range of grief reactions experienced by the bereaved are completely normal and take a lot longer than a few weeks or months to work through.

People need to offer support to bereaved family members by talking and listening. In this way individuals are given the opportunity to explore their own feelings and experience of bereavement way beyond the three week period which many bereaved people say they are given by the wider community before they are expected to be “back on their feet and able to carry on.”

- Express your feelings and talk to someone else about what has happened.

- Whether it's in private or in public, it's ok to cry.

- Accept that people grieve in different ways and allow them to let their feelings out, rather than bottling them up.

- Get plenty of rest and sleep.

- Don't forget to remember; make the time to think and reminisce.

- Be good yourself and allow yourself time to grieve, regardless of what anyone else might think.