The family of a grandmother murdered as she house-sat for friends have said Christmas is "on hold", while her killer still remains at large one year on.

Relatives of artist Valerie Graves, 55, who had lived in Scotland until shortly before her death, said it was hard to "share the excitement" of the festive season as the first anniversary of her murder approaches.

Ms Graves was found dead by her sister Jan on December 30 in a ground-floor bedroom. She had been bludgeoned with a claw hammer in the home in Smugglers Lane in Bosham, near Chichester, West Sussex.

She was murdered as she house-sat with her sister, mother Eileen and her sister's partner, Nigel Acres, while the owners holidayed abroad over Christmas.

Despite a £20,000 reward, the involvement of the National Crime Agency, a Crimewatch appeal and a limited DNA profile of a suspect, no-one has been charged with her killing.

In an effort to help bring about a breakthrough, Ms Graves' two children Tim Wood, 32, and Jemima Harrison, 35, spoke - along with Mr Acres - ahead of the first anniversary of her murder.

Mr Wood said: "It's hard to carry on knowing that someone is out there able to do it to someone else and knowing that they haven't been caught for what they have done."

Appealing directly for information about the killer, he went on: "Please come forward to give us that information that may lead to catching the person responsible.

"It would give some closure, knowing that they were off the streets, so that they couldn't do that to anyone else. I would hate anyone else to have to go through this.

"My daughter is only three so she's all excited (about Christmas) but it's hard to share the excitement."

Mr Acres also said it was difficult to mark Christmas with such an emotional anniversary looming. In addition, Christmas Day would have been Ms Graves' birthday.

Mr Acres said: "We will spend Christmas together but Christmas is pretty much on hold for obvious reasons.

"I think we will go through the motions."

Mr Acres said Ms Graves' murder has been deeply felt by her sister after the pair had started to see more of each other. Ms Graves had recently moved back to Sussex from Scotland to help care for her elderly mother in Bracklesham Bay.

Mr Acres added: "(Jan's) devastated by the whole event.

"Valerie had moved down from Scotland to look after her mother so she had been living in the area for seven or eight months before last Christmas.

"Jan had got to know her sister again because they didn't see each other often. To catch the person who was responsible will bring some closure.

"It's not going to bring Valerie back and that's what's important. Until that happens, we can't see any way forward."

Ms Graves had graduated in textile design from Heriot-Watt University. She had lived in Scotland for around a decade.

After leaving the university, she started her own crafts studio at Harestanes, near Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, and lived in a cottage in the village of Maxton.