Sandra Cook's life revolved around her five children, and her semi-detached house in a cul-de-sac in Bristol.

Even when she was struggling to bring up her family as a single parent, she was determined they would stay together in the place that had been her home since the mid-Eighties.

"This house was everything to mum," says her 22-year-old daughter, Kirsty.

"It was all she had. She'd say as long as we've got this roof over our heads and each other then I'm happy."

Sandra died on October 28, 2007, aged 47, just four days after being diagnosed with cancer of the lungs and stomach.

Her ashes are now in a container on a shelf in the sitting room of the house that meant so much to her.

Kirsty and her brother Richard, 18, a plumber, will soon be taking over the mortgage on the property in Hanham, which is home to them and their younger sisters Laura, 17, and Tilly, 10.

Their older sister Larisa, 24, lives with her boyfriend.

"We just want to do everything we can to keep it, because it meant so much to her," says Kirsty, who works as a nursery nurse.

Both she and Richard are aware that they will be taking on an enormous responsibility.

Their mother had been living on income support and had only been paying interest on the £33,000 mortgage, and had been unable to carry out any improvements or repairs.

Now the property needs extensive renovations. The windows let in damp and need replacing; the kitchen sink leaks and doors are falling off the kitchen units; the garden is overgrown with a crumbling wall; and every room needs redecorating.

Already, Richard has installed a new bathroom suite, and he is presently putting up a wall to turn the large living room into a sitting room and dining room.

"It's hard when you come home after a day's work and then have to start working again on the house," he says.

"There are all sorts of little things that need doing, which don't sound like much in themselves – but there are so many little things that they're going to take years to deal with.

"When mum was well she was at home all day and had time to look after the house. She never threw anything away, so there was a lot to clean.

"She still tried to do things even when she could hardly move. I'd say 'just sit down and have a rest', but she'd insist on trying to do things."

Sandra worked in the social club bar at Trinity Road Police Station, but stopped working after she split up with her first husband in the mid-Nineties and had to bring up their four children on her own. She later remarried and had her youngest daughter, Tilly, but that relationship also ended.

"I really don't know how she ever did it, bringing up five kids on her own on income support," says Kirsty. "She used to be there for us every single day."

Kirsty has taken on many of her mother's household responsibilities, in addition to looking after the family's dog and four cats – and her two younger sisters.

Tilly, a pupil at Hanham Abbots Junior School, even says: "I kind of pretend that Kirsty is my mum."

All the children admit that life is hard without their mother.

Richard says: "We've had to take on a lot of responsibility. We've had to grow up very quickly."

Kirsty adds: "I'll be at work all day, and then I often have to go shopping for food and won't get home until about 9pm. Then there's the cooking and washing to deal with. It's really, really stressful.

"We all try to do something. If Laura comes home before me she'll start cooking dinner, and Richard does a lot of work on the house.

"Tilly went to stay at her friend's house at the weekend, and I was able to go out in the evening. It was great to be able to go out like a typical 22-year-old. I felt like myself again."

Laura – who is studying for A-levels in psychology, sociology and art at City of Bristol College – has taken on a weekend job at Showcase Cinema at Avonmeads to bring in extra money.

"I'm always tired, and I'm always behind at college," she says. "My personal tutor knows all about my situation and has been very understanding."

On top of the television in the sitting room are cards for Laura's recent 17th birthday.

Did she have any special wishes for her birthday? "Nothing," she replies. "We stopped wishing for things a long time ago.

"Mum was bringing us up on her own and money was very tight. I've got used to not having as much as my friends. For me, my birthday was just another day."

Sandra, a smoker, had been unwell for some time before she was rushed into hospital by ambulance in October 2007.

She had been suffering from breathing problems and pains in her legs, but it had been thought these were the result of asthma or emphysema and sciatica.

Her children had no idea she was terminally ill until four days before she passed away.

"Towards the end her breathing was very heavy and she couldn't walk for more than about 10 yards without sitting down," recalls Richard.

"But we had no idea she would die. You think that your mum can cope with anything, because she's your mum."

Kirsty only recently collected her mother's ashes from Westerleigh Crematorium.

"They'd been there for about a year, but last year was such a bad year that I only recently felt able to get them," she says.

Sandra died without making a will, and had no life insurance, and no insurance on the mortgage. Her children are unsure when she became aware that she had cancer.

Kirsty remembers: "I was making appointments for her to go to the doctors, and she hated me for it even though she was lying on the sofa, crying in agony."

She believes her mother may have been trying to protect her children by not telling them about her illness.

"She was our best friend and mum rolled into one," says Kirsty.

"She didn't want to tell us, to frighten us – she still saw us as kids and didn't want to panic us.

"I think she kept it to herself for as long as she could until it got too much.

"Even when we found out that she had cancer and there was no hope it didn't really sink in."

Richard says: "When Mum was in hospital, it seemed really strange to see the rest of the world still going on as usual, while it felt as if we had entered a different universe.

"It still seems strange that she isn't around, and we can't talk to her about things that are happening. She was such a good friend to talk to."

Kirsty and Richard are hoping to make monthly payments that will reduce the debt on the mortgage as well as paying off the interest.

They are also planning to increase the size of the mortgage to pay towards improvements to the house.

"The windows are letting in a lot of condensation, and we're getting mould on the nearby walls that we're constantly having to wash off," says Kirsty.

"All the kitchen units are falling apart, and the boiler is very old and probably needs replacing."

However, before any major work can take place, the many photographs and ornaments that Sandra collected will have to be cleared away.

So far, the children have not been able to bring themselves to do this.

"All the pictures in this room are hers, and they are still where she hung them up," says Kirsty, gazing around the sitting room. "She was a bit of a hoarder, so there is a lot of stuff that we will have to sort out."

Kirsty and Richard admit that coping with financial matters, and taking over the mortgage and then remortgaging has been a challenge.

At one stage, the mortgage got about £1,000 into arrears. "Not knowing anything about anything, it's hard," says Richard.

It was only when Kirsty was talking to one of the mothers at the nursery where she works that she realised they could be entitled to some support.

The family is now in receipt of tax credits, and also receiving regular visits from Futures at Knightstone Housing Association.

This service is individually tailored to their needs, and aims to help the family maintain their home even though it's privately owned. Through this support, the family has already got a washing machine from a charity.

However, it is still a struggle.

"There are just so many things to think about – it's hard to suddenly become a mum and make ends meet," says Kirsty.

"I don't really earn that much, even with the tax credits and child benefits we get now.

"It all goes on the gas and electric. I make sure I pay the bills first."

Despite the challenges facing them, the children are determined to stay together in the family home.

"A lot of people have said to us 'you can't do it, just sell it', but we've proved them wrong," says Richard.

Kirsty adds: "I want to make this house what mum wanted it to be. I know she'd be proud of us."