DESPITE suffering several heart attacks over Christmas and New Year, Devizes grandma Wendy Bryant is more concerned about stitching pink armbands for a fundraising event this weekend.

Doctors think stress over the illness and death of her eight-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte Wakeham, who lost her 17-month battle against an inoperable brain tumour in September 2003, was partly responsible for Ms Bryant's condition.

Ms Bryant, 51, from Victoria Road, fell ill on Christmas Eve.

She said: "I was so looking forward to spending Christmas with my family, but on Christmas Eve I started feeling pain in my chest which wouldn't go away. When it spread to my arms I thought I had better call the ambulance."

After a couple of days at Salisbury District Hospital, during which she was put on clot-buster drugs, Ms Bryant felt well enough to go home.

She was able to meet her new granddaughter, Kayla Charlotte, born to Ms Bryant's daughter Vicki Fonteyne, 28, at 4am on December 30 and named in memory of eight-year-old Charlotte. But later that day Ms Bryant felt unwell again and was rushed into hospital.

Then, on Monday morning, she suffered her most serious heart attack.

She said: "Thank goodness I was in hospital and they had all the equipment round me in a flash. The staff here are brilliant and I really owe them my life."

Ms Bryant is about to undergo an angiogram an examination of blood vessels using X-rays and, on the basis of its results, she may be sent to Southampton General Hospital for a heart bypass operation.

But the thing most on Ms Bryant's mind at present is stitching pink armbands for the players of Westbury United and Corsham Town football teams who will be fundraising at their local derby in Westbury on Saturday for Charlotte's Chance of Life Appeal, the fund set up by Ms Bryant when Charlotte, eldest child of Ms Bryant's son, Bill Wakeham, and his wife, Alison, first fell ill in June 2002.

The fund was set up to raise money so that Charlotte could have one last holiday to remember, a trip to Disney World in Florida, where she went with her family in September 2002.

But the fund attracted so many donations that it soon reached the £30,000 mark. Charlotte's family decided the money should be used to support research into the type of brain tumour that killed her, particularly into the use of drugs like Chloripramine, which have had some success in the fight against the cancer.

Money from the fund has also been used to finance therapy for children suffering from other forms of incurable disease.

Saturday's match is the latest fund-raiser in aid of Charlotte's appeal and Ms Bryant wanted the players to take the field wearing patches of pink. Pink was Charlotte's favourite colour and mourners at her funeral were asked to wear something pink.

Ms Bryant said: "That is all I can think about at the moment. I know the game is on Saturday, which is very short notice, but if anyone can help stitch the material for the armbands I would be so grateful.

"The doctors have said I will be in for at least two weeks, which means I will be in hospital for my birthday on January 16. I must admit I did get depressed about it all, but you can't go through life feeling sorry for yourself so I am now concentrating on getting well so I can do more work for Charlotte's appeal."

Vicki Fonteyne, who also lives in Devizes, will, of course, be lending her seamstress skills to the cause but she has only just recovered from the birth of Kayla. Owing to a complication after the birth, Ms Fonteyne lost a lot of blood and was rushed to the Royal United Hospital, Bath, for an emergency blood transfusion.

She said: "I'm feeling much better now and I will be able to help out with the armbands."

Charlotte's younger brother, six-year-old Leigh, will turn out on Saturday as a mascot for Westbury United, along with the regular mascot, Luke Oliver. Kick off at Meadow Lane is 3pm on Saturday and everyone is welcome.

If you want to help with armbands contact the Gazette.

PINK PLEDGE: Wendy Bryant recovering in Salisbury Hospital, holding her new granddaughter Kayla Charlotte. (/3/PM) Also pictured, from left, are Kayla's father John Ponting, her mother Vicki Fonteyne, holding sister Amy, and Amy and Kayla's sister Lisa (/1/PM)