A SERVICE of prayer and reflection is to be held to allow people the ‘space to grieve’ following a fatal crash in west Dorset.

Mosterton Church will host a half hour service today from 3pm with all in the community invited to attend for a time of reflection, quiet and prayer.

Vicar Jo Neary said the service was being offered to provide those affected by the fatal car crash with ‘a space and time to process their thoughts’.

It comes after a crash at the A3066 in Mosteron on Wednesday evening that saw three pedestrians hit by a car, which then caught fire.

All three pedestrians, believed to be from the same family, were taken to hospital by air ambulance for treatment, but police said on Thursday afternoon that a woman aged in her 40s had died.

Revd Jo Neary said the church wanted to ‘respond to the needs of the community’. She said: “It could have been any of us and I think that is what is so shocking.”

“It’s always really shocking especially when it’s a road that is so familiar to you, that so many people walk along or drive down as part of their daily routine. That’s what makes it incredibly difficult to think about and it reminds you how easily it could have been someone that we know.”

“The church can provide space to offer people hospitality and a welcome for everyone. (The church is) a focal point for the community and we are able to host a service that gives the community a space and time to process this news in the way that they feel they need to.”

“We will always respond to the needs of the community and are always here to help: whether that’s by speaking to members of the clergy or simply by providing a space for people to grieve and process their thoughts.”

“We are available for people, if people want us to be: we are not just for those that are religious, we are here for the community as a whole.”