THE daughter of a seriously ill retired police officer has raised nearly £2,000 for a charity that has supported the family during her father’s cancer treatment.

Alfreya Bell’s father Chris, an ex-officer with Durham Police, has been treated for non-hodgkin’s lymphoma for a number of years.

Alfreya began receiving support from St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington last year.

On Tuesday (December 9), the hospice was presented with a cheque by 15-year-old Polam Hall School pupil Alfreya and Durham chief constable Mike Barton.

Mr Barton said: “I was moved when I heard about this story from my team.

"It is clear that Alfreya has been extremely grateful for the help that St Teresa’s Hospice has given her and her family.

“She has shown great initiative by enlisting the help of her school, Polam Hall, and her dad Chris’ colleagues from Durham Constabulary.

"As a result she has raised a significant sum of money to support a very worthy cause.

“Alfreya has done a fantastic job and I am delighted to accompany her today to hand over the cash.”

Alfreya, from Eaglescliffe, near Yarm, said: “The hospice has done lots to support me during dad’s illness and I wanted to do something to show them how grateful I am. I also wanted to help them continue their good work.

“I started raising money by doing the Midnight Walk with my school friends. The staff at Durham Constabulary helped me collect over £1,000 in sponsorship money for that, so I wondered if there were other things I could do with them to raise more money.

"The Durham City crime team have run raffles, auctions and sold tickets for their annual get-together to raise another £900.

“I would like to say thank you to the hospice, in particular my support worker Julie Baker, for the care they have given me and my family. I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported me with my fundraising.

“I have now applied to be a volunteer at the hospice so that I can keep giving back. I’ll also be supporting them through my Duke of Edinburgh award at school.”

Hospice director Jane Bradshaw said: "It has been our privilege to be able to be help Alfreya and her kind support in return is really heart-warming.

"Alfreya is a great ambassador for the Hospice and an excellent fundraiser, for which everyone at St Teresa’s is very grateful.”

Alfreya has been invited to attend the hospice's annual Light Up a Life service at the Dolphin Centre on Sunday December 21, where she will switch on the lights of the Hospice’s Christmas trees, each light on which has been dedicated to a loved one.

For more information about the Light up a Life appeal, call the hospice on 01325-254321.