A PROMINENT businessman has described how renaming one of his ventures after his niece, who was killed by a train, will help keep “her memory alive”.David Thompson last night spoke of the decision to change the title of his delicatessen business to Charlie's Larder - in honour of 13-year-old Charlotte Thompson who was hit by a train as she attempted to cross the tracks last December.

A PROMINENT businessman has described how renaming one of his ventures after his niece, who was killed by a train, will help keep “her memory alive”.

David Thompson last night spoke of the decision to change the title of his delicatessen business to Charlie's Larder – in honour of 13-year-old Charlotte Thompson who was hit by a train as she attempted to cross the tracks last December.

The tragedy was the second to hit the close family after Mr Thompson's son, Dan, was killed in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle in December 2004 – which led to the naming of a Sudbury bar after the popular 30-year-old.

Mr Thompson said: “Family is very important to me – even more so after what happened in the last year.

“Charlotte's family are going through their rawest moments at this time – something I have got experience of.

“But they thought naming the delicatessen after her was a lovely thing to do and a way of keeping her memory alive, like we did with Danny.

“There are some days you don't want to wake up in the morning but this is a way of remembering Charlie.”

Charlotte, and her friend Olivia Bazlinton , died when they attempted to cross the tracks and were hit by an 80mph express train at Elsenham, Essex.

The tragedy came also a year to the day after Charlotte's cousin, Dan Thompson, died in a car accident on the A134 in Sudbury.

Mr Thompson was a director of Sudbury's Choices movie shop, Reggianno's sandwich bar and had just opened a new wine bar – later renamed Danny's.

During his funeral, Charlotte read out a poem, which she had written especially in memory of her cousin.

It concluded: “He will be greatly missed, but do not listen bearing a sad frown. For he was also greatly loved and always will be.

“He is still with us really. So do not grieve because he has died, but rejoice because he has lived.”

Now the family hope the teenager's memory will live on through the delicatessen business, which has also moved premises to the Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury.

Mr Thompson said Charlotte was a familiar face in the Sudbury area and was always helping out at the delicatessen, formerly known as Thompson's Fine Foods Ltd.

He added: “My brother, Pip, has always played a very active part in this side of the business and Charlie was always here every Saturday and she loved it.

“The whole family have gone through a lot in the last year – not just with what has happened but also in business. We feel the time has come to reinvent ourselves, leaving the past behind to build a new future.”