CLOSE friends of local mum Lucy Ross have rallied round to support her, both emotionally and financially, as the grieving mother attempts to build a charitable foundation to help other parents who lost children in devastating incidents.

Lucy's 18-year-old son Henry Nowak, an accountancy and finance student at Southampton University, was murdered in the Hampshire city in December last year, a tragedy which sparked the national conscience when it came to trial. His killer, Vickrum Digwa, tried to blame Henry for taunting him racially before the incident – a story which was proved to be a tissue of lies.

And police officers called to the incident were criticised heavily for not putting the injured and dying Henry at the forefront of their response.

One of Lucy's best friends, Kelly Hatchard, says Lucy has been trying to find a way to create something positive from an unimaginable loss.

Lucy's hope is now to create The Henry Nowak Foundation, with the vision of providing a safe and welcoming place for parents and families in Essex who have experienced the devastating loss of a child.

The Foundation is still in the process of being established, but Lucy is determined that Henry's name will live on through something that brings comfort and support to other families.

It is hoped the Foundation will mirror the work of the 2wish charity, which has given support to henry's family. It benefited from a hugely successful memorial match held at Aveley FC earlier this year.

At the same time, Lucy is facing the very real challenge of grieving for her son while trying to return to work, support her family and manage the everyday financial commitments that don't stop when tragedy happens.

For this reason, Henry's godmother and Lucy's close friend, Kelly Hatchard, has set up a GoFundMe page to support Lucy personally.

It can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-lucy-her-family-after-losing-her-son-henry?ref=ed_direct

Kelly's page is separate from the planned Foundation and is not currently raising funds for a registered charity. It is simply there to give Lucy some much-needed breathing space while she grieves and begins the journey of creating something meaningful in Henry's memory. It has already raised more than £2,000, with a tagget of £5,000.

The fundraiser aims to help Lucy meet household costs, including mortgage payments, while giving her space to grieve.

Kelly says: "No mother should have to worry about returning to work or how she will keep up with everyday financial responsibilities while trying to process the loss of her child.

"In the longer term, a separate portion of the funds will help Lucy begin establishing The Henry Nowak Foundation, including developing her plans, covering the necessary setup costs and working towards creating meaningful support for other grieving families.

"As the foundation develops, funds intended for it will be used to support its charitable aims rather than Lucy's personal living expenses.

"Nothing can take away Lucy and her family's heartbreak, and nothing can bring Henry back. But your support can help Lucy now while also helping her build something lasting in her son's name - Henry's legacy."

The appeal message adds: "Together, we can help Lucy through the immediate challenges of grief while supporting her long-term vision of turning unimaginable loss into a source of hope and support for families who may one day need it."