There is no doubt that today will be a difficult one for Esther Hyman.

Exactly a year ago, her sister Miriam was killed in the July 7 London bombings as she made her way to work.

Not long before a bomb ripped apart the number 30 bus she was on in Tavistock Square, 31-year-old Miriam known as Mim had been called by her father John and told him she was OK after being evacuated from King's Cross.

But then she boarded the bus.

Days of searching hospitals followed, but Esther, of Cowley Road, Oxford, had her worst fears confirmed when police later identified her sister as one of the 52 victims of the 7/7 attacks.

The weeks and months in the run-up to this first anniversary have obviously been difficult, she said.

And grieving someone lost in such a public tragedy has not helped.

"The public nature of it the July 7 bombings has meant it is difficult to ever put things aside," said Esther, 37.

"It's thrown up in the face of everyone who lost a loved one.

"It doesn't get easier or harder, it's up and down every day. There's no amount of words that can express how I feel. Today will be a poignant day."

She added: "Of course I am apprehensive about the first anniversary. It's the culmination of a year's apprehension.

"We've had to get through the first of everything - her first birthday, the first Christmas without her - and this is another one of those days."

Today, the family is holding their own event at Golders Hill Park, in Golders Green, London, where they went after Miriam's funeral.

They will observe the two minutes' silence there at noon and will then have a picnic and toast to Miriam.

"We decided this would be the perfect way to spend the day," said Esther.

The family has found a way of making something positive come of Miriam's death, setting up a memorial fund which has already raised more than £40,000.

Esther has ploughed her efforts into organising events in both London and Oxford, with the most recent here being a house music night at Cowley Road's Zodiac nightclub, one of her sister's favourite nightspots.

"The fundraising really helps," said Esther. "I've been able to create new memories associated with Mim so that when I think about her it's not just doom and gloom. I can think of all the good things that have been done in her name."

And the fund is going from strength to strength.

It was set up with the initial aim of supporting a fellowship for the charity Orbis, which will enable eyecare experts in the developing world to undertake further training.

Some of this work is already under way, with a paediatric opthamologist from India receiving training at the Moorland Hospital in London thanks to the fund.

The Hyman family decided to support Orbis because Miriam was passionate about eyecare after discovering she was short-sighted in her teens.

To find out more about the Miriam Hyman Memorial Fund, log on at www.miriam-hyman.com