THE distraught mother of a 15-year-old boy found dead in bed after suffering an epileptic fit has spoken of her grief.

The body of Arron Smith was discovered by his grandmother, who had gone to wake him up after he suffered the fit earlier that morning.

Yesterday, his mother, Tracey Weatherill, 35, said that Arron - who would have been 16 next month - was already sorely missed by sisters Alisha, five, and Chelsea, nine, as well as his 30-year-old stepfather Paul Day.

The teenager, from Billingham, Teesside, was found at about 11am last Monday.

Ms Weatherill said: "He had been fine on the Sunday night when he went to bed.

"The fit happened in his sleep. He lived with his nana and she went in on the morning and found him."

Speaking about her son, she said: "He was very caring and loved his family. He wouldn't go to bed without giving his nana a cuddle and saying 'I love you'. "He would do anything for anyone."

Arron had been suffering from severe fits by the time he was diagnosed with epilepsy.

The schoolboy, an avid karaoke fan, began a long course of medication and eventually a specialist found the key to reducing his symptoms and decreasing the number of fits, although they still remained aggressive, said Mrs Weatherill.

Until the day of his death, the teenager, who attended Billingham's Campus School and planned to become a firefighter, had not suffered an attack for a number of months.

His family are now inviting his many friends to attend his funeral at St Aidan's Church in Tintern Avenue, Billingham, at 10.45am on Wednesday.

Family friend Catherine Storey, 39, plans to take part in a bungee jump in Hartlepool today, as well as holding a fundraising day in Billingham next Sunday, to raise cash for a memorial to the teenager.

"I want to do it for the bairn," she said. "He was just a lovely, lovely lad. He had a heart of gold."