Hundreds of people line streets of Stubbington for funeral of 'remarkable' Sophie Fairall
Watch the full report by ITV Meridian's Derek Johnson
The funeral of an inspirational 10-year-old girl from Hampshire, who raised thousands for charity but sadly died from cancer, has been held.
Hundreds of people lined the streets of Stubbington, decorated with yellow balloons and ribbons, to say a final farewell to Sophie Fairall.
Residents all broke into a round of applause as the funeral procession made its way through the town to the Holy Rood Church, in honour of Sophie.
Sophie was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in September 2020, a rare type of cancer that forms in children's soft tissue.
The little girl's story of living with cancer captured the hearts of a whole community and sparked an awareness campaign. Sophie inspired others with similar conditions to keep going and raised money to fund support and research for other children like her.
The Reverend Richard England, Vicar of Crofton Parish said: "Every funeral is both a moment of sadness where we recognise that we've lost someone that's dear to us but it's also an opportunity to remember and celebrate and to give thanks."
Reverend England also said Sophie was "remarkable" in the way she faced her cancer diagnosis and the way her family and community "rallied around her to improve the lot of those going through childhood cancer".
The Rev Richard England, Vicar of Crofton Parish:
Sophie's parents Charlotte and Gary want to improve the funding most charities give towards helping children to fight Rhabdomyosarcoma.
They say currently only 4-5% of funding is allocated and believe with more focus and money that more children's lives can be saved.
In a post on Sophie's blog on Facebook, her family wrote: "It will be a day no parent, grandparent or great grandparent should have to go through. It's the wrong order but Sophie has taught us all so much. Her legacy will live on and change will happen."
"Sophie would tell us to look for the good in everyday and we are so thankful for having time to say goodbye. We're thankful for having time to make memories and achieve her bucket list. We're thankful that we all could be around her holding her hand when she died. Sometimes we have to find the good rather than focus on the negatives. That's what Sophie would've wanted."