A DARWEN school’s appeal for help to create a memorial garden for a student who died suddenly last year has been answered.

Blackburn-based firm Brent Stevenson Memorials has offered to donate a free headstone for a garden dedicated to Kevin Burnett.

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The 11-year-old, who attended Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA), died in September 2015 after suffering from a condition called brittle asthma.

Kevin developed his debilitating condition aged six when he was a pupil at St Barnabas Primary School.

His mum Laura Partington, 34, said: “I am so grateful to Brent Stevenson for what he is doing.

“It just goes to show that community spirit is still alive.

“It is a wonderful thing to do and I think it’s such a kind thing to to, in fact it’s immense, I am overwhelmed by how much the community has come together for us.”

Memorial firm manager, Kevin Bennett said that it would be a pleasure to work with DACA and Laura.

He said: “It would be our pleasure to make a memorial for Kevin.

“We have got the expertise to make anything that the family want and we will ensure that it is in proportion with the garden at the school.

“We will supply the school with whatever it is that they need whether it’s a plaque or a headstone.”

It will be located next to the football pitches and all the benches are to be turned round to face the pitches as a tribute to Kevin’s love of the sport.

School pupils and staff will also be planting flowers and a memorial stone for the youngster is also planned. It is hoped that the garden will be finished in time for what would have been Kevin’s 13th birthday on March 19 next year.

St Barnabas pupils have been asked to help out with some of the planting which will include Kevin’s younger brothers Lewis and Jake Kenyon, who still attend the school.

Brendan Loughran, who was academy principal at the time, previously said that a memorial garden would be the best feature of remembrance.

He said: “I have had staff and students come up to me to talk about how we can keep Kevin’s memory alive around the school.

“We have also talked about creating a new award to be given every year.”