Tribute to '˜little superstar' who fought until the end

Alison Hayden, 11, died on Friday morning surrounded by her family at Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The brave Hawes Side Academy pupil, of Lennox Gate, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer in June 2015 and had to have her left leg amputated after doctors discovered a tumour.

Her grandmother Susan Bowdell, 57, said: “She never once for a moment gave up. She fought until the very end. She really wanted to stay.

“I was there when she was born. I didn’t expect to be there when she died. That’s not the way it should be.

“Alison was very brave. She was so caring and full of life. She was determined she wasn’t dying - she was going to beat it.

“On Thursday she was laughing and joking and making funny faces with her friends. She was just Alison.”

Alison’s aunt Samantha Jones, 29, said: “She’s our little superstar. She was very brave. Nothing fazed her - she took everything in her stride.

“We are very upset but we’re a very close family so we all support each other. We are taking things one day at a time.”

Alison’s funeral will take place at St Christophers Church on Hawes Side Lane, South Shore, at 1pm on Monday. People who wish to pay their respects are asked to wear brightly-coloured clothes.