'I created blether boxes to help my grieving sister'

The blether boxes are being delivered to children in South Ayrshire this week

A young woman who lost her father to cancer has created special "blether boxes" to help children cope with grief.

Gaby Williamson, 20, wanted to help her nine-year-old sister deal with her feelings in a positive way after their father Kevin died last year.

The boxes contain toys, books and worksheets designed to help children understand their emotions.

They are now being delivered to schools in South Ayrshire.

Initially aimed at primary schools, they will go to children whose headteachers feel would benefit from them.

Gaby's family wanted her dad Kevin to be remembered in a positive way

Following her father's death, Gaby - who runs a Let's Blether blog to encourage people to talk about subjects such as mental health and grief - realised there was nothing to help young children like her sister Poppy to deal with the loss of a loved one.

"How do you talk about grief and talk about emotions as difficult as that?" she told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"At my age I can go out with my friends and distract myself and talk to counsellors, whereas for a child of my sister's age it's a lot more difficult to do things like that and to actually describe how you're feeling.

"Everything in the box were things used by myself and my mum to help my sister deal with her grief and talk about my dad.

"We wanted to make sure she was dealing with her grief and remembering my dad in a positive way that wasn't going to upset her too much."

Gaby wanted to help her nine-year-old sister deal with her feelings after their father died

She added: "I'm absolutely delighted to see this box actually come to life. My family are so happy and overwhelmed because if Poppy had had a box like this it would have made such a difference.

"If this can put a smile on one little person's face then we are going a step in the right direction."

South Ayrshire Council worked closely with Gaby, who is from Ayr, to put the boxes together. The first is going to a school in Troon.

Carole Campbell, the council's principal educational psychologist, said: "We were very inspired by Gaby and the ideas she had for this as a resource, which coincides with a programme to support children's mental health across South Ayrshire.

"Children do tend to deal with grief very differently. Sometimes they find it difficult to find the right words to express their emotions. The good thing about the box is that they are able to express their emotions through different activities."

'These boxes will make such a difference'

Gaby said she was pleased the first box was going to a school in Troon as her mother grew up there.

"It's so bittersweet to have to deliver boxes to kids that are going through a tough time but at the same time I know these boxes will make such a difference," she said.

"I'm really looking forward to starting this and seeing where it goes.

"As a family, we just wanted to do things to remember my dad in a positive way. He was so young - he was only 49. We want his legacy to live on forever. By doing things like this and helping others, we believe it will."

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by bereavement, these organisations may be able to help.