MADISON Allan's family have paid tribute to their "beautiful, intelligent and brave little girl".

The seven-year-old died at 10.45am on Boxing Day, after battling an agressive Neuroblastoma tumour in her stomach since being 10-months-old.

In the two weeks before her death, her health began rapidly deteriorating as the tumour grew four centimetres all around, and she lost the use of a kidney.

Her grandmother Alison Foster, 60, said: "She was so talented and so beautiful, she was intelligent beyond her years.

"So why give her these gifts and then make her suffer and take her from us? It doesn't make any sense."

Mrs Foster, who lives next-door to Madison's parents Samantha and Mark in Lord's Crescent, Lower Darwen, was notified that she was unwell at 9.20am on Monday. The last time she saw her grandaughter alive was when she was being taken into an ambulance on their drive.

She said: "She died in the ambulance practically before they got off the estate.

"It's as if she knew and she didn't want to leave death in the house."

Mrs Foster said Madison was too ill to celebrate Christmas and had not spoken all day.

She said: "She was very brave and managed to get dressed in a matching outfit as her two-year-old sister Scarlett.

"But because she was so uncomfortable she only managed to open two presents, and there was no reaction from her, no joy. She asked her Daddy to open the rest as she watched from the sofa.

"She sat with us at the table for Christmas dinner, right opposite me. I couldn't eat anything because I felt so worried and guilty.

"We had to keep on going for Scarlett's sake, but all the time I was looking at Madison and wondering what was going through her mind."

Madison's family have travelled from across the country to be together and to plan her funeral. Mrs Foster said her daughter was "coping well" and was seeking comfort from reflecting with her husband in Madison's bedroom.

She said Samantha is keen to organise a book of condolence, and for as many people as possible to attend the funeral.

She said: "Samantha wants to invite anyone who wants to be there to the funeral, because without the community's fundraising help, we wouldn't have had an extra 15 months with Madison.

"We're also keen that it should be Madison's day - a celebration of her life - because she was such a character. We want to keep her memory alive."