A HUGE teddy bear brought a ray of sunshine into the life of brave leukaemia sufferer Harriet Sharp when they met on a shopping trip.

The seven-year-old from Thornton, who has been fighting her illness since being diagnosed last December, found Sunshine Sam in the Boots store in Preston and instantly fell in love with him. And staff at the store, on Fishergate, were so enchanted by the little girl they decided they wanted to do something to help her and Pendlebury Children's Hospital where she receives her treatment.

Grandma Joyce Westhead told the Citizen: "Harriet is doing very well, but she doesn't have time for many activities due to the intense chemotherapy she has to undergo every day.

"The staff at Boots were lovely. When they met Harriet they made a real fuss of her and decided to present the gifts to the hospital."

Dale Stokes, the sun shop consultant at Boots, said: "We held a charity football match around the time of the World Cup and were sponsored by staff at the store. Together with donations from customers, the total came to around £200.

"We didn't just want to present the cash so we bought items for the hospital, including toys for the children and much needed baby changing mats."

Sunshine Sam educates children about the need for sun protection, travelling around Boots stores, schools and organisations around the country and promoting the need for sun creams and hats.

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