A GRANDMOTHER given just months to live has vowed to spend her last days raising money for charity after living a “full and happy life”.

Panni Young, 62, of Buckwoods Road, Braintree, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer almost three weeks ago. She has been given a few months, possibly a year, to live.

From the moment she was diagnosed, Mrs Young said she came to terms with it, having done everything she wanted to do in life.

The mother of four, who has four grandchildren, said her biggest achievement was opening a create-your-own ceramic shop, Little Yellow Hedgehog, in Victoria Street Shopping Village, which used to be Braintree Community Centre.

She said: “My mother died a few months ago and left me a few pounds and I started with that and cashed in my pension money.

“I now pay two members of staff part time and our takings are going up each month.

“I am hoping to pass it on to somebody when I go.

“The shop is community minded.

If someone wants to come for a tea or stay and have a chat, all the better.

“Back in September or October, we made our own ceramic poppies for the appeal and they sold like hot cakes.”

Mrs Young hopes volunteers will help raise money for the charity by making ceramic hedgehog badges with a purple ribbon on for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

She said: “I want people to be aware that everyone knows someone with an illness or a type of cancer, but there are some that are not curable. I want to carry on helping people, like I have done all my life.”

Mrs Young hopes to have her body donated to science.

She said: “I have worked as a support worker and have been in the caring business for a long time and I want that side of me to continue “My husband was devastated when we found out. My four boys thought I could have a bit of chemotherapy and I would get over it.

“I want my business to go on and I want to raise money so that people don’t have to turn around and say I have only got a couple of weeks left to live.”

Visit justgiving.com/Panni- Young to donate.