LITTLE Kaci-Leigh Williams couldn't have been happier as she smiled for the camera on her first birthday.

The Blaenau Gwent youngster is too young to know how much joy she brought to her parents when she was born a year ago yesterday, at a time of unimaginable sadness for them.

Ian Williams, 24, said the birth of such a beautiful daughter, three days after a tragic road accident that killed three relatives, was the blessing that saved him from being torn apart by grief.

And watching the happy-go-lucky toddler's progress has been the one silver lining in an otherwise bleak year for Mr Williams and his partner Kirsti Haile, 23.

"She's brilliant," said Mr Williams, of Tyllwyn, Ebbw Vale. "She's just taken her first steps, and started talking, saying "Mam", "Dad" and "Oi you".

"She's the main reason I haven't lost the plot. I had to keep strong for the baby."

The couple are bringing up their daughter without Mr Williams's parents, Andrew Williams, 45, Elaine, 44, and brother Craig, 19, who all died in the crash on the A467 between Crumlin and Aberbeeg on January 19, 2007.

Mr Williams was faced with an overwhelming mixture of emotions in the aftermath.

While his partner gave birth to Kaci-Leigh at Nevill Hall Hospital Abergavenny, Craig's girlfriend, Donna Grey, who survived the crash but lost her unborn baby, was recovering in the intensive care unit next door to the maternity ward.

Mr Williams was "over the moon" when he cradled Kaci-Leigh in the delivery room but devastated by the absence of his parents, who had been desperate to see their first grandchild.

"The hardest thing was not seeing their faces when they first saw the baby," said the part-time security guard.

"They were already spoiling her. When I cleared out the house I found so many things they had bought that I didn't know about - clothes, toys, a cot."

The couple managed to get by with the solid support of other relatives, including 19-year-old Donna, who has remained strong despite losing her boyfriend Craig and their unborn baby.

Mr Williams and Ms Haile celebrated Kaci-Leigh's birthday with a family get-together complete with a bouncy castle on Sunday.

They plan to have more children in the future, and will ensure they know all about the grandparents and uncle they can never meet.