TWO unusual pieces of craftsmanship have been created as a way of helping parents who have suffered the agony of seeing their child die.

A pair of quilts, featuring 63 panels each, most of them dedicated to a dead child, were produced for the charity Compassionate Friends, a self-help group which supports bereaved mothers and fathers and helps them rebuild their lives.

The quilts, the idea of the charity's County Durham branch contact Margaret Antrobus, have travelled to many parts of the country for events run by different branches.

Mrs Antrobus, from near Durham City, said: "It all started two years ago when I ran a little quilting workshop at our national conference.

"We made eight panels with butterflies on them and then the idea grew from there.

"I thought of making 48 panels and there was such a good response that 48 became 63. Then there was so much interest that we made two quilts.

"Each panel is in memory of a particular child, but one panel on each quilt has no name and is in memory of all the children who have died.

"There were a lot of tears shed in making the quilts, but most people who did it felt it was very therapeutic and wonderful to do something in memory of their child."

Mrs Antrobus added: "Everyone in the charity is a bereaved parent or, in some cases, a bereaved grand-parent.

"We can understand how parents who have lost a child feel because we have been along that road ourselves."

To contact Compassionate Friends, call 0191-384 3519 (County Durham), (01642) 551261 (Teesside), 0191-267 4569 (Tyne and Wear), or the charity's national helpline on 0117-953 9639.