The mother of a man whose body was found in a park has said messages of support she has received on social media are helping her cope with her grief.

Sonia Cooper's son, 39-year-old Ben Roffey, was found dead in the King George VI Memorial Park in Ramsgate on Thursday morning.

She spoke to KentOnline's sister paper Thanet Extra about the shock of hearing the news.

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Mrs Cooper said: "It's like you've lost half your own body.

"Your heart breaks, you cry, you get angry. You say why has this happened but nobody can answer that for you.

"I wouldn't wish this on anyone, being a mother and having to plan your child’s funeral isn't right."

"I wake up in the morning and I cry because it's another day without him. It's the first thing I do and the last thing I do.

"I don't know how many times a day I cry."

Sonia added that she has been helped by hearing funny stories about her son.

"Friends and family talking about him really helps,” she added.

"I think it's important for us as a family to remember him and some days we sit down and think of snippets of things we remember him doing.

"Some make you laugh or cry but it's the fact so many people knew him that brings the most comfort."

Ben, who worked as an engineer at Cummins, used to make YouTube videos which Sonia has been listening back to.

"Everybody loved him because he was so easy to get along with" - Sonia Cooper

She said: "I'm glad he made them, it gives us a chance to hear his laugh again.

"His son said to me 'I can't bear walking past his room and not hearing him'.

“Everybody loved him because he was so easy to get along with. Everyone I’ve met is devastated.”

Mrs Cooper spoke about Ben's battle with alcohol addiction, for which he was seeking help.

She said: "He planned to kick the booze on January 1 and I was proud of him for that because it had taken him a long time."

He lost his father after he died of a heart attack when Ben was 13 years old.

It led him to organise a charity bike ride with friends to raise money for the British Heart Foundation a few years ago.

Ben's funeral takes place at Margate Crematorium on Thursday, March 16, at 10am.