The 15-year-old, from Leabrooks, died in the early hours of Tuesday, June 16, after a two-year battle with skin cancer.

St Thomas' Church in Somercotes was packed as her friends and family gathered to remember her on Thursday.

Father Geoffrey Knox told the congregation: "Death is always hard to come to terms with but when death comes to one so young it is doubly so.

"Katie was the most amazing daughter any parents could wish for and her and Chris were not only brother and sister but best mates as well; always there for one another, always sticking up for each other.

"She was a bubbly, vivacious, outgoing and a kind girl with a good sense of humour and sense of fun."

Katie, a pupil at Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth, was a keen animal lover and her pet Great dane dog called Faith was in the church for the ceremony. She dreamed of one day being able to ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle but sadly her illness prevented her from fulfilling that wish.

Although she was never told her cancer was terminal Katie had spoken about life after death and requested a biodegradable coffin that arrived at the church in a horse drawn carriage.

Eric Clapton's 'Tears in Heaven' and 'Time of Your Life' by Green Day rang out around the church during the service and some of Katie's school friends played 'To a Wild Rose' on trumpets and piano.

Katie's brother, Chris, gave a reading that finished: "You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on."

The family will continue raising money for the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund, which raises money to help victims of skin cancer and help towards research into the disease, with £8,500 collected through a sponsored walk in the village at the weekend.

Click here to make a donation.