THANK you, Lancashire Telegraph, for the wonderful coverage of Madison Allan’s funeral (if such a thing can be wonderful).

I would also like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did in highlighting Madison’s fundraising.

You have been fantastic.

We will never forget.

Losing Madison has been the hardest thing we have ever had to face, and the pain will never go away.

Although I have been told it does get easier, at this moment I find that hard to believe.

We would also like to thank all your wonderful readers for their cards, help with fundraising, wearing pink for Madison.

No matter how small, we will never forget their kindness or yours.

We as a family intend to carry on with the fund-raising in the hope we can help other children and families going through this terrible illness.

We want to raise awareness of Neuroblastoma.

We were just one family grieving at Christmas but there were other families who lost their children over Christmas as well, one just three days before Christmas and one on the Tuesday after Madison, so it’s not rare!

I never believed we would lose Madison.

I got frightened at times and would sometimes imagine what it would be like if we did, then I would push it away because it was just too painful.

Every time Samantha rang me when she was at the hospital and told me it had spread to some place else, a fear gripped my heart and I felt sick, but I had to be strong for them, then had to relay the diagnosis to the rest of the family and to all the people asking about her.

I never in a million years thought that when I left Madison on Christmas Day it would be the last time I’d see her alive (except when they put her in the ambulance).

Even then I thought she would be back.

Again, thank you for everything.

Alison Foster, grandmother.