FAMILY and friends of a brave toddler whose battle against cancer touched the nation’s hearts are to run in her honour this weekend.

Two-year-old Sophie Atay, from Birtley, near Chester-le- Street, suffered from a rare form of neuroblastoma and died in March.

On Sunday, her cousin, Lauren Parkinson, and 15 friends from St Thomas More School, in North Shields, North Tyneside, will take part in the Children’s Cancer Run to raise money for the North of England Children’s Cancer Research fund at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Despite a successful appeal to raise the money needed for Sophie to receive pioneering treatment in the US, including a £100,000 donation from pop mogul Simon Cowell, she was too ill to travel and passed away on March 11, leaving a legacy of more than £500,000 for the neuroblastoma charity, the 2Simple Trust.

Lauren and her classmates, all aged 14, have been fundraising since Sophie was first diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago, and have already raised more than £2,000.

Lauren’s mother and Sophie’s aunt, Anne Marie Parkinson, said: “Lauren and the girls decided to take part this year in order to do something positive after the terrible death of Sophie in March.

“Sophie’s mum, Karine, is determined to ensure Sophie’s death wasn’t in vain, and therefore is extremely keen to keep the memory of her daughter alive while also raising the profile of children’s cancer across the country.”

The run, which includes a five-mile cross country run and a one-mile event for the under-sevens, will be held at Newcastle Racecourse on Sunday.

Entry is £10, or £5 for undersevens, and further information is available from childrenscancerrun.co.uk