A TOY coffin and hearse have been put in the playroom of a hospice to help children come to terms with funerals.

The toys are intended to help children understand the roles the coffin and hearse will play when the time comes for the funeral of a loved one.

Deborah Robinson, family support and bereavement officer at St Teresa’s Hospice, in Darlington, believes the toys are necessary to explain a difficult subject to children.

She said: “It is very difficult for children to understand and accept the death of a loved one.

“Many have never seen a hearse and don’t know what it looks like.

“The toys will be used as a tool to explain what will happen.”

She approached Co-operative Funeralcare, in the town’s St Cuthbert’s Way, and asked for help in finding a toy hearse.

Co-op manager Jenette Sisson contacted Oxford Die-cast, which donated the hearse, while a volunteers made a model coffin.

Ms Robinson said: “A funeral is often an added pressure and many adults are unsure whether children should attend. We usually tell them to explain what will happen at the funeral and then leave the decision to the child.”