No grave at which to grieve

TODAY marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of Linda Razzell and her family are no closer to discovering where her body is.

While the final resting place of the murdered mother remains a mystery, her four children are planning to set up a charitable trust to help victims of domestic abuse in Third World countries.

The gesture is what Catherine, Matthew, Robin and Emma see as a fitting way for their mother's memory to live on.

Linda's family claim she was a victim of domestic violence in the years preceding her death.

However, exactly a month before her estranged husband, Glyn, was found guilty of her murder he was acquitted by a jury of unlawfully wounding her. It was alleged he had repeatedly smashed her head against a plate glass window.

On March 19, 2002, Linda parked her car in Alvescot Road, Old Walcot, as she usually did before walking to work at Swindon College.

Glyn Razzell, 44, is serving life for bundling her bleeding body into the back of a friend's car and then disposing of her body, which has never been found.

During last year's dramatic six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, Razzell was convicted after the jury heard how police had found Linda's blood in the boot of a Renault Laguna.

Now Julie Westmore, Linda's cousin and surrogate mother to her four children, says the family wants to create a lasting memorial because they have no grave at which to grieve.

She said: "We're looking to set up a charitable trust fund in Linda's name to raise money to help women in Third World countries fleeing domestic abuse.

"To set it up and launch the fund will take a good year, but the children want to be involved in it so that something good can come out of this tragedy.

"Linda was so kind, thoughtful and had no nastiness, so this would be a memorial to last forever. Memorials don't just have to be graves.

"The amount of money we will be able to raise will not be enormous, but in the Third World a small amount of money goes a long way and will support a lot of people."

On Sunday Mother's Day Linda's children will lay flowers at their grandparent's graves in Camarthen, South Wales.

Although they have been trying to rebuild their lives away from Swindon there is always something to remind them of the horrific events of two years ago. News has filtered through that their father is appeal ing against his conviction and his girlfriend, Rachel Smith, has set up a website to whip up support.

"The children's friends have seen the article. Matthew just wanted to go and remove every copy," said Mrs Westmore. "All they're trying to do here is build a new life.

"It has been up and down especially with Rachel Smith (Razzell's girlfriend) launching that website, which distressed the whole family.

"But I'm fine and we have all adjusted to what has happened.

"Life goes on, the children are growing up and are all doing well. It has been a massive adjustment, but it's amazing what you can do we have all found the strength from somewhere and are looking towards the future and positive things."

Linda, who lived at Pentylands Close, Highworth, would have celebrated her 43rd birthday next month. Since her disappearance, extensive police searches of lakes, wasteland and open spaces in and around Swindon have proved fruitless. Her mobile phone was recovered from the alleyway between Alvescot Road and Upham Road, but no transactions have been made from her bank account and she has not contacted her family.

Her boyfriend, Honda worker Greg Worrall, said: "I am just trying to carry on as normal, but it's like a game of snakes and ladders and sometimes I slip down a snake.

"The hours and days go so slowly, but the days and months go very fast. It's all so strange.

"Today, I will be thinking of the family down in Wales and keeping my fingers crossed that the courts don't allow his (Razzell's) appeal."

Police say they will search for Linda's body if they receive fresh information, but they are no longer actively looking.

Today Greg, and Jenni Manners, manager of Swindon's Women's Refuge, will lay flowers in the alleyway from where Linda vanished. Tonight, Greg has arranged for St Michael's and All Angels Church in Highworth to be floodlit in Linda's memory and Jenni has paid for Christ Church in Old Town to be lit up in the missing mother's honour.

She said: "Linda was the ultimate victim of domestic violence she met her death because of it and so many women we help could have ended up in a similar situation.

"The injustice is that Linda Razzell has not been properly buried and the family have no formal resting place for her.

"She is very much in everyone's thoughts here and I wish she had just come to see us because I feel we failed her. I would like to think that if she had approached us we would have been able to help.

"I don't believe she is still alive. I have spent 28 years here and women who care about their children don't just disappear in that manner.

"I would put the lottery money and more on the fact she hasn't vanished to start a new life and I would say that even without knowing about the forensic evidence of the blood in the boot of the car."

Giles Sheldrick