A couple who set up a support group for bereaved North Yorkshire families after losing their own teenage son in a road accident are to be given a community award.

David and Janet Warin, who are involved in a wide range of voluntary community activities, are the winners of the Pickering & District Rotary Club 2001 'Service Before Self' award.

The group they set up, called Compassionate Friends, seeks to help bereaved family members cope with their loss.

Besides that they are members of the town's meals on wheels service and two years ago they started organising Christmas lunches for lonely pensioners.

The couple, who live in Pickering, are also involved in the Ryedale Road Traffic Accident Group which aims to improve young people's driving skills.

"We lost our son Daniel in a road accident six years ago - he was 17 years old," said Mr Warin.

"As a result we have become involved in accident prevention by teaching young people to be better drivers.

"I am also involved in assisting young people aged 16-18 years to improve their prospects with an organisation called Learning Gateway for Lifeskills.

"This aims to give young people with few prospects a bit of hope."

Though the couple devote a lot of their time to helping others, they both have jobs.

"I am a teacher and Janet is a care manager - our voluntary work is a big part of our lives and we do it mostly as a memorial to Daniel," said Mr Warin.

Club president Roy James said the couple had been chosen for the award because of their "splendid work for the community".

"Though they say the death of their son triggered their voluntary work I think they have it in them and would have done something like this anyway," he said.

"Last year I joined them on Christmas Day and they were busy cooking dinner for a group of elderly people who had no one to spend the day with.

"They had been working since 8.30am - not many people would do that."

Pickering & District rotary Club will present the award to Mr and Mrs Warin at the Forest & Vale Hotel on April 25 at 7.15pm.

Updated: 08:49 Wednesday, April 25, 2001