After passing her dancing exam, six year old Emma McKinlay has decided to do something special to help a child who is ill in hospital, and provide an important ray of hope for the future.

The West Kilbride youngster was rewarded with a new dress by mum Catherine, but kind hearted Emma has decided to donate the dress to another girl of a similar age who is battling cancer.

The heartwarming tale is a repeat of last year when Emma donated her tutu dress to little Madison in Glasgow who was suffering from a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma.

And now, the McKinlay family are hosting a fundraising shopping night for local ladies in the West Kilbride Village Hall for the children’s cancer charity ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ - in the hope of Emma making another girl a princess for the day for an uplifting experience for all.

Catherine said: “Last year, Emma donated one of her dresses to Madison through the charity. Emma wanted to make a little girl smile, and Madison had terminal cancer, and couldn’t walk, so presenting her with the dress was a marvellous moment. Madison’s wee face lit up. 

“Madison became a princess for the day and had a tea party, and a clown provided some fun. It just goes to show you that for some families, it is not a bed or roses, and go through a tough time. The good news is that Madison is now in remission but she has still to go through a lot of treatment.

“And after passing her dance exams at the Charlene Cargill School of Dance in Stevenston this year, Emma was presented with another dress, and she said to me that she would like to make another little girl smile, so we decided to host a charity night too, and already, we have received some great raffle donations including a beauty spa, gift vouchers and champagne.”

The shopping night fundraiser takes place on Wednesday 10 March from 7pm till 11pm, tickets are £5 including a drink on arrival, with lots of stalls on the evening. It is a bring your own bottle evening.