THE FAMILY of Maggie and John Kirby are rallying around their surviving daughter.

Mrs Kirby's brother, Mick Hawkes, 71, and his wife Pat, said that 38-year-old Tina Stone, would need all the support she can get.

Mr Hawkes said: "I can assure you that she will get all the support she needs. We are a close family," said Mr Hawkes, who lives in Longborough.

Tina's uncles and aunts, Graham and Dot Hawkes who live in Moreton, and Barbara and Geoff Griffin from Stow, travelled to Bristol this week to comfort their niece.

She and her husband Nick have been staying close to their children, Adam Stone, 10, and Sophie, 9, who are beating treated at hospitals in Bristol for serious injuries received in the crash. The children are making good progress and showing signs of improvement.

Mr Hawkes said niece Tina was standing up wonderfully.

"Her mother was like that. She was tough and resilient. She's coping well under the circumstances," he said.

Mrs Kirby was a one of nine children from Longborough. She is survived by three of her brothers, Mick, Graham and Jim, who lives in Wales, and her sisters, June and Barbara, who live in Stow, and Sandra, who lives in Stratford.

Sister-in-law Pat said Mrs Kirby was a wonderful woman.

"She had a heart as big as a bucket. She was very hard working and would do anything to help," she said.

Her brother Mick described his younger sister as "brilliant".

"She was always happy and she definitely called a spade a spade. She never bore a grudge."

Mr Hawkes praised his brother-in-law John. " He was a hard-working lad. He was very quiet but he was very good to her."

He said his niece Julie, who suffered meningitis when she was born which had left her with a slight limp, was a lovely girl.

"She was a good girl and was very popular," he said.

Asked about his feelings towards driver Jason Brain, whose overtaking is believed to have caused the head-on collision, which killed his sister, he said: "I feel sorry for the parents, for his mother. It's not her fault.

"We do blame him but it doesn't matter. Whatever we say will do no good."

Others who have paid tribute to the Kirbys, include neighbour Christine Babbedge, who lived next door to the family in Maugersbury Park, Stow.

Mrs Babbedge said: "They were very much involved in the community.

"I got on well with them and never had any problems. I saw Maggie the Thursday before she died. We just stopped and had a quick word.

"Now you look at the house and there's nobody there. It's a pretty horrendous event."

She said the Mrs Kirby and road maintenance worker John often had their grandchildren to stay.

"They enjoyed coming up. The children would play outside. They are very pleasant children. Adam was keen on his football," said Mrs Babbedge.

She said that daughter Julie, used to make cross-stitch cards and gift tags, which she sold in the local flea market.

"The people there were particularly fond of her," she said.

Veronica Woodford, manager of Stow visitor information centre and a family friend of the Kirbys, said: "They were very local and very hard working. Maggie and Julie took part in a lot of local things.

"Julie was a lovely soul. She came and worked for me at the visitor information centre for some work experience when she was at college. She was always out and about and had lots of friends."

Mark Vance, owner of The Grapevine Hotel in Sheep Street, Stow, where Mrs Kirby worked as a housekeeper, said all the staff had taken the news of her death very hard.

"We are a quite close knit team," said Mr Vance.

"Maggie was one of our longest serving employees. She was a lovely, loyal, trustworthy, dedicated member of staff."