A GRANDMOTHER from Moredon is having her hair shaved off next week to raise money for the hospice that cared for her late grandson.

Charlie Fry passed away 17 days after he was born with a terminal condition that stopped his digestive system from working.

His gran Sue Barrett is raising money in his memory for Helen & Douglas House on May 6, which would have been Charlie’s fifth birthday.

Miss Barrett said: “He’s always with us, we talk about him all the time.

“It doesn’t get any easier but we have to learn how to cope with the loss.”

Her daughter Jo gave birth to Charlie in 2012 and she and her husband Mark were given the terrible news that he had short-gut syndrome, which meant that he couldn’t digest food.

After an unsuccessful operation, he went to Helen & Douglas House in Oxford to be looked after for the last days of his short life.

His parents stayed in a bedsit in the hospice where they were able to live together as a family with the support of the staff.

Miss Barrett added: “To go from the joy of having him to the pain of losing him in just a few days, it was very hard.

“He was given drops of water to drink and they made sure he was not in too much pain, all the staff did such fantastic work.”

Sue’s late husband Leslie died four years before Charlie was born.

The 65-year-old said: “He never got to meet his grand-children but he would have adored them.”

Mark and Jo now have two children, three-year-old Joseph and nine-month-old Elliott.

“Joseph has a star outside his window that he says good night to, he says it’s Charlie’s star.

“He put daisies on his grave when we went to visit it and Elliott’s only a baby but he’s been told all about Charlie.

“It’s nice that they can remember him.”

Sue has already raised more than £1,000 for the hospice with her first head shave in 2013.

The next one will be at the Sainsbury’s in Bridgemead from 10am-1pm, with the shave starting at midday.

There’ll be collection buckets for donations and balloons and stickers for children.

She added: “The charity do such amazing work, they were so helpful.

“I wanted to thank them for looking after the little one and helping his mum and dad keep it together for their son’s sake during a very difficult time.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/SM-Barrett