It was quite overwhelming to find the roots of our story were as the result of one incredible lady's inspiration and determination - and what a coincidence that Alfie Tate, one of the characters in the book had drawn a bird on his copper leaf, in memory of his teacher, because they had both "jumped for joy when they saw the first swallows of summer."

What do you do when that 'one in three' statistic becomes your own mother? In November 2011 my world came to a halt as I found out mum had terminal cancer of the pancreas, with a diagnosis of just six months to five years to live.

It is often said that English people do not like to talk about death. Last week's publication of the first national survey of the bereaved has gone some way to dispelling such a notion.

Knocking on someone's door to tell them someone close to them has died - possibly a husband, wife or child - is one of the most difficult jobs the police do. In the Metropolitan Police it was called a 'death message'.

If anyone does take the time to read this, unless you are a dog lover then this will probably all appear to be a load of old tosh. There are many of us however that actually take the time to study our dogs in the hope of understanding them a little better

"Grief feels like fear" - wrote C. S. Lewis and when my phone rang one morning three years ago, I knew instinctively that something was wrong. My daughter's best friend had gone missing from school the day before so when the Head of Pastoral Care told me that Naomi had died I was shocked, but not surprised. She had committed suicide. She was just 17.

I have been lucky enough in my life not to lose anyone that I was really close to. Apart from my grandparents, who passed away in old age, I can thankfully say that my immediate family and all of my good friends are still here with me. Death is the one thing that doesn't grow easier with age and I can only hope that I am strong enough to deal with the inevitable when it eventually happens.

Saying goodbye to a parent is the most difficult experience I have ever gone through. You never really know how hard it will be until it happens.