Kingswinford School pair raise £1,000 in memory of friend

Two students from The Kingswinford School have raised more than £1,000 in memory of a friend who died of a brain tumour.

Sophie Buckley and Gemma Cartwright decided to launch a fund raising campaign in memory of Becky Palmer to help others and their families suffering from the effects of brain tumours.

Becky, a 19-year-old child care student was told on New Year's Day in 2010 that she had a malignant brain tumour. She remained cheerful to the end and died at home, surrounded by her family, almost a year later on December 14.

Year 11 students Sophie and Gemma led ten school assemblies explaining why they wanted to raise money for the Samantha Dickson Trust. They then used their talents for public speaking at a parents' meeting which was attended by over 200 parents and carers.

Sophie was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of parents, students and staff at the school. She said: "It has been an amazing experience. Thank you to everyone who helped and donated money."

Gemma said: "We never dreamt of raising £1,000 and hope it will help many people in the future."

Gemma and Sophie added: "Becky was a truly beautiful person, inside and out, who is terribly missed but always loved. She was an inspiration to all who knew her and her remaining epitaph is 'Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die today'. This epitomises her attitude to life and how she treated her illness".