Alex Harrison was a bright and fun-loving child. She adored her family and friends was a big animal lover. She loved baking cakes and was a talented artist who found comfort in drawing and painting. She was just six years-old when her life and that of her parents Paul Harrison and Kathryn Dainty and the rest of her family were turned upside down. She was diagnosed with a stage 4 medulloblastoma, the medical term for a children's brain tumour. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here The little girl from Stockport underwent four operations to remove tumours as well as several gruelling rounds of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Tragically, despite the best efforts of her medical teams, she died on July 4 last year, aged 13. “The awful disease took a lot away from her. But never her spirit or love and affection for those closest to her," said dad Paul. "Alex was a kind and generous person who raised more than £800 for Brain Tumour Research by organising a cake sale at school just a few weeks before she died.” Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE In the weeks before her death, Alex was cared for at home and made comfortable by nurses from the Francis House homecare team, as well as Macmillan and community nurses. As well as managing her pain and end-of-life medications, they played games with her and took part in memory-making activities. “When Alex was taken ill, the nurses came out every day to see her," Paul says. "They managed her symptoms and it was invaluable because we couldn’t have coped with that. "We also didn’t want her dying in hospital so when she did die we came straight to Francis House and their special facilities." Francis House Children’s Hospice provides care and support to the families of children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. They are lifeline for hundreds of families, supporting up to 2,000 people at any one time with respite care, homecare, sibling support, end of life care and emotional and bereavement support. At their hospice in Didsbury , Francis House has three 'Rainbow Rooms.' These are specially cooled rooms that allow a young person to remain at the hospice after death and until the funeral. They have bedrooms and adjoining lounges which give families space and privacy whilst they say their goodbyes. "I had heard of Francis House and known about it for years,” Paul said. “But I never knew the Rainbow Room was there, I never really wanted to think about that sort of facility either. "But when we needed it, it was there, and I don’t know what we’d have done otherwise. "It’s an absolutely fantastic facility at the point you need it the most. We were welcomed with open arms and Kathryn and I were there for almost a month. "We were looked after and had a flat to ourselves. They fed us three times a day and we could have with us whoever we wanted, uncles and aunts, grandparents, they all stayed over. "Those three weeks were absolutely crucial and also for our sanity, because you don’t want to cope with these things at the best of times. “Francis House was the perfect place to turn to. Even though we didn’t do it beforehand when we could have done, we were grateful that they were there when needed.” Paul and Kathryn continued to access support from Francis House in the months following Alex's death. The family had always been passionate fundraisers for cancer charities. And on one visit to Francis House Paul spotted a poster for a charity walk. "The walk was taking place on what would have been Alex’s 14th birthday, June 22," Paul said. "I thought we’ve got to do this it just seemed perfect. "As there was more than one option to walk, some of Alex’s school friends could come along. "It was really inclusive and with more coming to do it, more money could be raised.” On Sunday, June 22, Paul and Kathryn, together with 35 friends and family, plus a large contingent from Heaton Moor Rugby Club, took part in the Francis House Cheshire Three Peaks Challenge walking from Tegg’s Nose Country Park in Macclesfield on either a 13.6 mile or a 6.5 mile route. "The walk was great, we really enjoyed it,” said Paul. “Alex wasn’t a huge fan of walking up hills but she loved cake, and we had a birthday picnic at the end, which she would have loved. “We would like to thank everyone who joined us on the walk or donated in a fitting way to celebrate Alex’s birthday. " The sponsored walk raised more than £6,000 for the hospice, with £4,000 also raised through Alex’s funeral, bike rides and half marathons. In total, Alex and her family have raised more than 30,000 for different charities since 2018. "We are incredibly proud of the huge amount of money people have raised in Alex’s name" Paul said. "Francis House is a fitting charity as they cared for Alex at home while she was dying, coming to our house to make sure she was comfortable and pain-free. “They also helped us as a family after Alex’s death and we are still accessing their services, and we will always be grateful for that.” Francis House needs over £4.8 million in charitable donations each year to continue to provide their services. For more information on ways to fundraise and support them click here.