We all face the possibility of losing a family member at some point in our lives but do any of us know what needs to be done in the immediate aftermath? The launch of a new Relatives Support Service aims to provide vital help when it is needed.

Many people will tell you than when someone you love dies it’s not always the grief that hits you first - sometimes you are too shocked for that. Very often what you are feeling is complete helplessness and bewilderment about the practical steps and the legal formalities that need to be dealt with.

These include collecting the Medical Certificate of Death and the patient’s belongings, contacting a funeral director and registering the death. You may also have to deal with the coroner and there may have to be a post-mortem. How many of us know any of this and, even if we do, would we be able to remember it when we are shocked and disorientated by losing someone we love?

Leanna Watson lost her son Jake, aged just 14, following an acute asthma attack and she says: ’After Jake died, the staff at the hospital were brilliant and they made a horrific time that little bit easier.

’Unfortunately there was a real gap in what to do next, and I ended up turning to the Yellow Pages - there was just not enough direction. If you’ve not been through the experience of losing a loved one, then how will you know?’

Meeting Leanna, she is clearly a strong, practical woman who can deal with most things that life throws at her but she readily admits that she ’panicked’ at the thought of going back into the hospital to collect Jake’s belongings. She decided to start a charity in Jake’s name and use some of the money they raised to help other families in this situation.

This was something that the hospital already had on its radar: they had acknowledged the need for such a service as far back as 2008 but shortage of resources and a suitable space to accommodate it had meant that it had never got off the ground.

This time, Hospice stepped in to help, offering a dedicated room at their premises on the hospital estate.

Hospice Isle of Man chief executive Ann Mills said: ’We listened and responded to what Leanna had to say and to her suggestions. When I put it to Hospice governors they all responded positively that same day. This is collaboration at its very best, two organisations working together to do the right thing for the people they serve.

’The environment at Hospice will make the difference. the staff here are trained in bereavement counselling and there is a calmness here at Hospice. We are delighted to open up our Hospice to bereaved relatives.’The new Relative Support Service will be run by staff from the hospital’s mortuary team on an appointment system and will allow possessions to be returned, paperwork to be completed and advice offered on counselling services. A leaflet has also been produced to provide families with all the information they need.

Mortuary manager Ian Hughes said: ’Everyone has had a bereavement so we do appreciate the pain and grief it causes and we want to do anything we can to make the journey a little less painful for the family.’

Leanna talked about the sudden loss of her son: ’Jake’s death came out of the blue. He had nothing on the run-up there was no coughs, there was no wheeziness. He’d been in and out of hospital with his asthma when he was young but he older he got, the more manageable he got with it. If you believe in fate someone let me say goodbye in a really nice way - we had just had an amazing weekend going out for meals, going to Silverdale Glen, we went round the island and we’ve got amazing photos. It was 11 o’clock at night when I went into Jake’s room to see if he was OK. He said he was a bit wheezy so we got his inhaler.

’It didn’t work so I said we’ll go up to A&E so we got his shoes on went to front door. It was a bit cold so he waited there while I went to get the car from round the corner.

’By the time I got back Jake’s older brother was at the door with a friend, pretty much holding Jake up. Jake was holding onto his brother and I was trying to calm him down.

’The ambulance turned up and they tried CPR there and then rushed him to A&E. After about an hour and a half they managed to get a pulse but. it was clear at that point there was nothing much else they could do.

’For anyone that loses anyone you’ve then got to go and chase up death certificates, go and pick up their personal belongings, and the thought of even walking back into that hospital and doing all that - I panicked.

’I didn’t want to go back into that place. There was unfortunately a lack of communication and we felt lonely.

’I only found out at Jake’s funeral that Hospice have a Rainbow Room [a dedicated room which provides a private, intimate and special place of rest for child and family until the day of the funeral] so I missed out on that opportunity of spending a couple of days with my son, saying goodbye.

’Applause for Jake came about because someone - still to this day we’re not sure how it came about - created an Applause for Jake Watson for a Crystal Palace game on a Facebook page called "The Everton Way".

’They had heard something about the story and found out Jake was an Everton supporter and so that’s how it started.

’We were provided with everything, including T-shirts which we wore for the funeral and Everton tickets for that match where they gave Jake a minute’s applause.

’’We were getting messages from New Zealand, Australia and America.

’We thought with the name being so out there we would run with it.’