LANDLUBBERS across West Somerset are being invited to donate their pieces of eight to a children's hospice by modern-day Minehead 'pirate' Charlie Kennedy.

Charlie is spending the entire week shivering her timbers in her finest pirate gear to raise both money and awareness for Claire House, a children's hospice which cared for her seven-year-old cousin Ellie Cook.

Ellie was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and died at the hospice near Liverpool 12 weeks ago.

Charlie had been at a children's birthday party dressed as a pirate when she heard the devastating news of Ellie's death.

"I wanted to turn a bad memory into something good so I decided to use the pirate costume to raise money for the hospice.

"What they did for Ellie was absolutely amazing and the support they have given the family has been fantastic," Charlie said.

She has spent the last few days doing everything in full pirate attire from the weekly shop, to working at Cheeky Cherubs Nursery and even attending her son's nativity performance dressed like an extra from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie!

However, not many extras have to paint on their eye-patches after continuously bumping into things: "I did have a proper eye-patch but it was crazy as I couldn't see things properly so decided to paint one on instead.

"I was really worried people would not want to support a hospice way up in the north east of England, but people have been wonderful," Charlie said.

She has already smashed her target of £200 and is still collecting donations via the Just Giving website at http://www.justgiving.com/Charlie-Kennedyspiratefun">www.justgiving.com/Charlie-Kennedyspiratefun.

Claire House needs £2.5 million a year to continue caring for terminally ill children, with the vast majority of its funding coming from donations.

Photo: Steve Guscott