A Welling man has set up a Facebook group so people who lost their parents can support each other.

Ben Tippett was just 19 when his mother Laura passed away aged 40 after a year-long battle with brain cancer in February 2017.

Ben, from Welling, was by her side when she died in a hospital bed that had been installed in the front room of the family home.

As the eldest of four, Ben felt the need to help support his younger brothers as they grieved.

Although he had support of his friends and family, he felt he wanted to speak to people who had been through a similar situation.

As Mother’s Day approached, he started to think about how he could create such a community. After taking his brothers out bowling on the day to cheer them up, he came home to brainstorm ideas.

That was when he set up the ‘Teenage Lost Ones’ Facebook group. The page, which already has around 500 members, “focuses on young adults who have lost a parent at a young age.”

Ben said: “Sometimes it’s nice to speak to someone other than your friends and family.”

He wants to use the group to organise events and meet-and-greets where people can enjoy themselves and talk about loved ones. He hopes the community will be an escape for people who are grieving.

He is also hoping to speak at local secondary schools to tell students about the community he has created.

Although still in its early stages, Ben has big plans for the future of the community.

“In future, I would like to have a youth centre as a space where people can talk to each other,” he said.