An eight-year-old girl who Mail readers helped to send on a dream trip to Lapland has died from a rare brain tumour.

Sian Klein died on May 2, at her home in west Hull, five days after doctors found the cancer, metastatic medulloepithelioma, had spread to her spine.

She was one of five East Yorkshire children who people in Hull helped to send to Lapland to meet Father Christmas in December, after charity, When You Wish Upon A Star, ran out of funding.

Sian was diagnosed with cancer five weeks after she went to live with foster carers Yvonne and John Nicholson, who she called Nana and Grandad, in October 2008.

Yvonne said: "We were so lucky to have Sian in our lives.

"She had a personality which drew people to her, and she could talk for England.

"She was part of the family."

Sian, who went to Adelaide Primary, loved going to school.

On days where she had radiotherapy in the morning, she would try her very best to be back in class for the afternoon, even if she was only well enough to stay for half an hour.

She loved arts and crafts, which she would call "arty farty" when she was being cheeky.

Yvonne said: "She had an arts and crafts corner which everyone else would call junk, but she loved.

"If anyone showed the slightest interest in her crafts, they were her friend for life."

Sian's prize possession was a felt poodle, called Sophie, which she made herself and which will be buried with her.

Sian had been due to go to EuroDisney next week and was excited about meeting Mickey.

Yvonne said: "Sian giggled constantly.

"She also had a real thing for manners.

"If she said thank you, you had to say 'you're welcome', or she would give you a disapproving look."

Sian called John "the best cook in the world" and Yvonne "the best nurse".

She finished a year of gruelling chemotherapy in February.

During that time, she never complained, and would apologise if she had to call for help in the night, when she felt poorly.

Although the treatment appeared to have been successful, she fell ill again in April.

Yvonne said: "Sian thought she was getting better. She used to tell people she had a 'poorly' in her head, but that it was better now.

"She gave so much to people. She gave herself."

The funeral will be held tomorrow at Northern Cemetery at 12.30pm.