TWO families have been devastated by a tragedy that has left Wycombe in mourning.

The scale of what has happened and how people have been affected has been made clear in letters, phone calls and e-mails received at the Free Press by people who didn't even know the families.

People have laid flowers and tributes to Maggie and Sally, whether they knew them or not, which has given comfort to the families.

It seems as though the whole town has come out in sympathy and people are looking for a way of helping.

Now there is another way that people can help - by donating to a fund set up specially for the five children, Gary, Mark, Tim, Benjamin and Joshua, who have lost their mothers.

These two women are the tragic victims of an event which no-one can really understand.

Their families will struggle to come to terms with their loss and anything that can be done in any way to help them must be done.

There is no way any amount of money could make up for losing a loved one but it can help in other ways.

Both families have welcomed the news of a fund being set up saying it will help them at this time.

It may be years before either family benefits from any compensation claims and in the mean time, there will doubtless be struggles.

In the case of Maggie's death, her sons have been left without the main earner of their family, having lost their father some years ago.

They do not know what the future holds and this could be a lifeline for them.

In Sally's case, her husband Simon may have to work less hours or stop work while he becomes the main carer of two young sons.

The fund is something everyone can help with, however small or large their donation, and the Free Press urges people to do what they can to help these children face the future.