Talking about her youngest grandson is still very difficult for Ann Hey.

Whenever she speaks about Charlie-Bob, she has to fight back the tears, apologising profusely.

Ann, 64, said: "It's something that happens to other people. Not yourself. It doesn't feel real. And it only seems like yesterday – it really does."

Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the awful day that Charlie-Bob was discovered dead in his pyjamas at his father Christopher's house in Weston Road, Long Ashton.

Christopher was found hanged in the garage and a post-mortem revealed Charlie-Bob had been murdered before the fire.

The blaze happened hours after a court hearing over Christopher's access rights to Charlie-Bob following the 51-year-old's split from Ann's daughter Paula a year before.

Ann can remember the day she received the call from Paula, a BBC costume assistant, saying that Christopher's house was on fire.

Determined to keep talking, though tears were rolling down her face, Ann said: "I went down to the hospital to see Charlie, and obviously we were there all day.

"It's the worst nightmare I have ever had to deal with. It was so confusing, and it still is now.

"How can a human being, who was supposed to have cared for and loved his son, go and kill him? We still try and analyse it all.

"I think – did Charlie suffer, was he awake, was he asleep, did he struggle?"

Yet, before that awful day a year ago, Ann said Christopher was a good father.

She said: "He was marvellous. He was a lovely dad. It was the last thing we'd expect, but leading up to it we knew he had lost the plot. I don't think he could cope with the divorce."

Ann also said that during his divorce, Christopher had physically hurt her a few times when they came into contact.

She added: "He had just totally lost the plot."

Ann said the worst memory she has is of Charlie-Bob's funeral.

She said: "Watching my son and my husband lowering the coffin into the ground, it was just heartbreaking."

She broke down as she said: "You just – you shouldn't be burying your grandson."

Charlie-Bob was buried with his torch, because he was afraid of the dark, and his favourite toys – a light sabre and a Teddy bear, pictured.

Paula has a 10-year-old son, Louis, from a previous relationship, and Ann gave up her job of 30 years at a chemist in Bath to look after Paula's two sons from a young age at the home she shares with her 63-year-old husband Philip in Bifield Road, Stockwood.

She said: "I looked after both the boys from day one because both Chris and Paula were in the film business, and when they were away the boys lived here, as Louis does now. I've almost been like a mother to them."

She did some part-time work at Northleaze Primary School in Long Ashton, where the boys were at school, but had to stop when Charlie-Bob died.

She said: "I did go back for a short time, thinking I could handle it but I just couldn't. Every classroom you look in, you see Charlie running around, and it just got a bit much for me."

Ann wiped away the tears in her eyes, touched her fashionably cut short hair, and described what her grandson was like.

She said: "Charlie-Bob was a live wire. What we've always said is he was like a bull in a china shop. He was a lively intelligent little boy, gorgeous and loving.

"He always favoured my husband, he called him 'Pappy', he would want to crawl into his skin if he could, he was so close to him."

A smile crossed Ann's face as she spoke about the visions she had for his future.

She said: "He was such a bright kid. I think he would have had loads of girlfriends – I think they would have been fighting over girlfriends, him and Louis.

"I think he would have made it to college, and university. I'm not sure what he would have wanted to be, but I think he would have done something creative, just like his parents."

Ann has lots of happy memories of her time with her grandsons, especially of the caravan holidays they had together.

"She said: A lovely memory I have is of both the boys outside the caravan one day when they spotted some ducks. They decided to leave a trail of bread and I got pictures of them laying on the floor, waiting to catch a duck for tea."

She pointed at a chair in her living room, and said: "I can see him sat on the back of that chair. While Louis played his game, he'd wait patiently for his go. He was such a sweet kid."

Ann, who doesn't look her 64 years but whose face shows the effects of last year's devastating events, said the family has been helping each other through the dark months in the last year.

She said her husband has lost a lot of weight, and that both he and her son Philip, 37, have become "very sad men".

She said: "We miss him every day. Whatever you are doing, he's there. Wherever you go.

"You go somewhere and think, 'Charlie would have loved that'. There's certain things we just can't do because they are too upsetting.

"We used to go bowling together as a family, and Charlie absolutely loved it. He would call his Pappy his bowling buddy so Phil can't do that now without getting upset."

She said: "In the beginning, I would cry all the time. The worst time would be when I was in the car and it would all be in my head. It was pretty dangerous really because I would think, 'crikey – how did I get here?' That was my worst time.

"But as the months have gone by, I have got a lot better."

In the months after his brother's death, Louis had nightmares about it, and dreamt that his stepfather was trying to kill him.

Ann said: "He kept blaming himself, saying that maybe his stepfather had killed his brother because Louis would never want to go and visit him, because he didn't get on well with Chris. That's in his little mind, thinking he could have saved Charlie."

In school, Louis did a drawing of himself being hung, a grave with his name on it and his stepfather looking down with horns on his head.

It was then that the family sought counselling for Louis, and Ann says he is doing much better now, but he still misses his little brother.

She said: "Louis and Charlie-Bob always got on so well, they were best buddies. Louis misses him terribly, and talks about him an awful lot."

Without hesitation, when asked what the worst thing is for her now, Ann said emphatically: "Louis."

She went on: "Because he is very, very lonely. He has friends but when they've gone home he's got nobody.

"I know there are a lot of only children, but Louis has always been used to Charlie and he misses him so much. He talks to himself a lot, which he didn't used to do and whatever game he is playing on the computer he will say, 'Charlie used to like playing this'. With his Easter eggs this year he said, 'I could have shared this with Charlie'."

The family are planning to mark the anniversary of his death with a series of small events.

Paula, who is currently working in Edinburgh, will fly back for Friday night when they will have fireworks in their garden.

At midday on Friday, Ann also wants to encourage people who knew Charlie-Bob to observe a minute's silence.

She said: "Our family will be doing it, and I have told as many people as possible, but if you knew him or his story touched you, I would ask that you take the time to think of him for just a minute in the middle of your day."

On Saturday, weather-permitting, the family hope to take a picnic to Charlie-Bob's graveside to celebrate his life.

Clasping her hands together, she said: "We hope that we can keep it together, and make it a happy day."

And from then on, they are trying to look to the future.

Paula is throwing herself into her work and Louis is not having any more nightmares.

Ann, who has not felt able to socialise or go to the gym in the last year, is also having counselling and plans to start going swimming again next week.

With a slow nod, she said: "I know that it is what Charlie would have wanted."

You can pay your own tribute to Charlie-Bob at Lasting Tribute.