A MEMORIAL bench to the six Philpott children has been unveiled almost two years to the day since they died in a tragic house fire.
Family and friends of Duwayne, Jade, John, Jesse, Jayden and Jack Philpott gathered at Osmaston Park to see the colourful wooden bench for the first time.
The £500 it cost has been raised by workers at Hewlett-Packard and Rolls-Royce in Derby and the memorial was the brainchild of Melanie O'Conner, who had lived near the Philpott family in Allenton.
The 47-year-old said: "The people at both companies have dug deep for this cause and I really would like to thank them for doing so.
"I knew the children and have known their families for all of my 47 years, having grown up in Arkwright Street.''
She added: "To have a permanent reminder in their memory is, I think, very important."
The six children died at their home in Victory Road, Allenton, on May 11, 2012.
All of them were asleep in their bedrooms at the semi-detached property when flames ripped through it.
The children, aged five to 13, all died from the effects of smoke inhalation.
Their parents, Mick and Mairead Philpott, now 58 and 33, along with family friend Paul Mosley, 48, were all convicted of their manslaughter.
Philpott was jailed for life while his wife and Mosley, of Cecil Street, Derby, were jailed for 17 years.
The bench forms a centrepiece in the children's play area at the park and carries a plaque bearing the names of the six Philpott children.
Their grandparents Peggy Philpott, Jim and Vera Duffy, were at the unveiling.
Mr Duffy, 64, of Reginald Street, Normanton, said: "With May 11 being the second anniversary of the fire there were a couple of stories printed in the national press that focused on the sordid side of Mick and Mairead's life, so to see something like the bench shows the other side, the kind-hearted side.
"I think to see such a colourful bench as a lasting reminder of the children is brilliant."
Other family at yesterday's unveiling included Jennifer Lobban and Nicola Bestwick, who were two of the children's aunts and family friend Jeannie Dolan, who was the godmother of Duwayne Philpott, who at 13 was the eldest of the six children.
Mrs Lobban, 30, of Sinfin, said: "All of the children were huge Derby County fans and the Rams getting to Wembley at the weekend is brilliant.
"If they had still been with us they would have been at the match, cheering on the team.
"I think having the bench as a lasting memorial to the children is fantastic."
