THE grieving parents of a toddler who lost her battle with cancer earlier this year, have been nominated for accolades at the Butterfly Awards.

Poppy-Mai, whose story captured the hearts of thousands, passed away at the age of 17 months after she was diagnosed with a rare Rhabdoid Tumour.

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Her mum and dad, Sammi and Andrew Barnard, who are originally from Blackburn but now live in Norfolk, have said that they “couldn’t believe” they had been nominated for the Inspirational Father and Inspirational Mother awards.

Mr Barnard said: “We found out about the nominations a couple of days ago and couldn’t believe it.

“I actually think it is a shame that you have to experience things this sad to get nominated for an award.

“That being said, it means the world to both of us, and it has shone a light for us in a very dark corner of our lives.

The pair have received love and support from all over the world after they shared the brave child’s story on a Facebook page called “The Journal of Poppy-Mai”.

Since her death, more than £87,000 has been raised to make Mr Barnard’s dream a reality and build Poppy’s Field, a sanctuary where sick children could stay.

He said: “With Poppy’s Field, we are looking for land and personally I think the Ribble Valley would be an ideal place to honour Poppy.

“We have put forward a proposal to make a registered charity and soon we will have a website at www.poppymaifoundation.org where people can make donations or learn more about Poppy’s story.

“We also want to put donations towards great charities like the Sick Children’s Trust and Addenbrooke Hospital where Poppy was treated.

“Ideally we want to spread awareness about Rare Rhabdoid Tumour as not a lot of people know about it or what it is.”

The Butterfly Awards are set to be held near Worcester on October 15.