A GRIEVING couple from Horton are having to accept that a hit and run driver will be out of prison – almost two years to the day he mowed down and killed their son.

Toby and Sue Gilmore, as well as and their son Max, are dreading the second anniversary of Jake Gilmore’s death on Tuesday(November 17).

But they say the occasion is made worse because the 19-year-old’s killer will soon be allowed out of prison.

“It never gets better, you just get better at hiding it,” said Mr Gilmore.

“You never forget. Every time someone asks, "How are you?" there’s a certain difficulty replying OK, because that’s what you’ve got to say.

“Sue and I aren’t as sociable as we used to be for that reason.”

Jake, a former student at Taunton’s Richard Huish College, was knocked down as he cycled home from his job in a pub in Bath, where he was studying at university.

His parents and brother were at his bedside when he died in hospital the following day.

Raymond Isherwood, 53, was jailed for three years for causing his death by dangerous driving and will be released after serving half that time.

“I suppose they’ll tell us when he’s out, but it’s not very long for what he did,” said Mr Gilmore, of Horton, where Jake is buried in the churchyard.

“In a way getting the first anniversary of Jake’s death over with was a relief as we’d been totally in pieces for a whole year.

“But there are various other anniversaries around this time, my birthday, Christmas, Jake’s birthday on December 29.

“It means the whole winter is completely overshadowed and we can’t think about anything else.

“I’m having next week off because I couldn’t bear to work.”

It has been a comfort to Jake’s family to discover the huge amount of friends he had locally, at university and even in Belgium, where he attended the Tomorrowland Festival shortly before his death and when he was “probably never happier in his entire life”, according to his father.

A housemate from Bath is honouring Jake’s memory by growing a moustache as part of the Movember initiative.

Student Jack Harvey is raising money for the Roadpeace charity, which is holding a remembrance service by a stone memorial outside the pub where Jake was knocked down.

“It was a huge shock, very sudden,” said Jack.

“Jake was very kind, never had a bad word to say about anyone and was always calm, never confrontational.

“I’m growing a Mo this month in his memory because that’s what Jake was doing at the time of his death – I’ve already raised £200 and have a target of £1,000.”

To sponsor Jack go to sponsorme.co.uk/jackharvey/jarveysmonkeytail.aspx.