SCHOOLGIRL Izzy Lane has raised £625 in memory of her best friend by holding a cake bake at her home near Devizes.

Izzy, 13, was devastated when Evie Clover died from a brain tumour in January just a few months after she was diagnosed.

Now Izzy from Stert has thrown herself into fundraising and on Sunday held a Big Bandana Bake Sale for The Brain Tumour Charity.

She said: "It was the Sunday after the big snow and while some people were deterred, we were not. We didn’t give up and cancel. We set up a trail through the village, signposted by balloons and flags so that the welly wearers could make their way down to us.

"We baked, and baked, and many brilliant friends and neighbours baked, ate, and bought.

"Evie loved cake and she would have loved Sunday’s bake sale. So many people showed their support for us. I made unicorn cup cakes, Evie loved a unicorn, and my mum made loaves of seeded and fruit breads. Dad made loads and loads of teas and coffees, and we ran a sweep stake with hidden prizes, kindly donated by Closa.

"We also set up a small stall in the lane by our house and sold the very kind donations given to our event by Haydens bakery in Devizes, and Reeves the Baker in Devizes."

Izzy said the death of the friend she first met when they both pupils at St Margaret's Preparatory School, Calne, was the hardest thing she has had to face in her life.

She said: "Watching Evie suffer and then die, so slowly, and yet so quickly, was the hardest thing I have ever faced. Every day we tried to do something to cheer her spirits.

"We organised and sang carols, dressed in pink, in Evie’s garden, arranged for the Rotary Club to visit with Santa and his sleigh, Ryhs Ponting and I played carols by clarinet for her.

"Evie loved pink and she asked my mum to find her a little pink Christmas tree for her return from hospital. After that we did everything Pink for Evie.

"Evie even asked me to share her special gift when she was terminally ill, a visit from the band Ward Thomas. I got to sing with them, with Evie. We tried so hard to keep her spirits up but the disease was too much and I watched a vibrant, happy, wonderful friend slip away from me.

"Watching Evie’s lovely mum and dad Bryan and Patsy lose Evie was also painful and I know that they will always suffer. Pink will always be for Evie.

"I will continue with my efforts throughout 2018 and beyond. I want the fundraising events to be fun, and sociable, bringing people together, in happier times."

These will include a pink picnic in Julie in aid of Evie's Gift set up by her parent's Bryan and Patsy Clover and a ball later in the year.