By Lars Niven

A FIFE toddler whose brave battle against leukaemia touched the heart of the nation was laid to rest yesterday during a poignant service held in Dunfermline.

Hundreds turned out to pay their last respects to Sara Thackray, who succumbed to the disease at the medical centre in America where she was being treated.

The toddler had been given a bone marrow transplant at the Duke Medical Centre in North Carolina following a public appeal to raise over £400,000 to pay for the treatment.

The mourners were led by Sara’s parents Lynne and Grant, and her brother, Grant junior, as well as close family and friends, who packed the town’s crematorium.

Sara was described as an “angel” by her family and the order of service contained several touching poetic tributes dedicated to the three-year-old.

During his address, the Rev Gordon Jenkins, from North Parish Church in Dunfermline, said she had “touched chords in hearts that had lain broken for many years.”

Sara’s death is the second tragedy to befall the family.

The couple lost their first child Tia to croup in 2001 when she was just 18-months-old.

Mr Jenkins said Sara often looked at the stars at night and spoke of Tia’s star.

She was once asked where she was going and she laughingly replied, “To dance among the tinkle, tinkle stars.”

During the service the congregation sang the hymns All Things Bright And Beautiful, Jesus Loves Me This I Know and the Boys’ Brigade anthem Will Your Anchor Hold.

Mr Thackray was a member of the Boys’ Brigade company run by Mr Jenkins in the 1970s.

Sara was first diagnosed as having acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was just a few months old.

Mr and Mrs Thackray were told their only hope was to take their daughter to America for specialist treatment.

A public appeal was launched to raise the money and Sara soon became an inspiration to fund-raisers across the country.

It looked at one stage as though the transplant and follow-up treatment had been a success, but for all her fight the youngster sustained one infection too many and died earlier this month.

Mr Jenkins said, “Grant and Lynne must have had so many dreams which now lie shattered in the dust of time.

“But that would be far too negative a way to think of Sara’s life, for she won the hearts of so many, she drew out the compassion of a community, she has made her mum and dad richer people by far.

“They can never be the same because Sara lived.

“Her life has not been in vain.

“She accomplished more in three and a half years than most of us do with our three score and 10.

“She made us all a little more human, a little less worldly, a little more caring.”

Mr Jenkins had with him some of the family’s keepsakes, such as the little Bible she clung to as she slept and the hanky she used to wipe away her mother’s tears.

Lynne and Grant made a special point in the order of service of thanking all those who raised money to help Sara and who supported them throughout her illness.

The list of those who helped was extensive: family, friends, doctors, nurses, trade unions, police forces, hotels, airlines, oil companies, printers, fire brigades, ambulance crews and the media.

There were celebrities too, such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Richard Branson, David and Victoria Beckham, Ann Gloag, J. K. Rowling and Ian Rankin.

It seemed the little girl from Dunfermline touched everyone’s hearts.

Mr Jenkins said he had asked Grant if he was bitter that his daughter had died.

He replied simply, “No, just proud. Proud of what she was, what she did, what her little life has accomplished.”