A CHILDREN'S poet is auctioning off books by top authors in a bid to raise money to help a local schoolgirl who has cancer.

Julie Douglas, 46, from Port Glasgow, drew on her literary contacts asking writers and illustrators to donate signed copies of their work to help six-year-old Rosie Veronica Mitchell, who is battling neuroblastoma for the third time.

Her parents Donna-Louise Hurrell and Ross Mitchell have set up Rosie's Fighting Fund to help send her abroad for life-saving treatment.

Julie lives in Barr's Brae and is patron of reading at Gibshill Children's Centre and St John's Primary where Rosie and her own daughter Sarah, six, are pupils.

She said: "I've been touched by Rosie's story.

"We see her and her family every day.

"I know what they are going through.

"All the fundraising that the school has done and the wider community has been fantastic.

"Everyone is trying to do their bit drawing on the contacts they have."

Julie, 46, holds workshops and organises reading activities with children locally and further afield and has had 150 of her own poems published in magazines and anthologies.

She felt she had to put her network to good use to help Rosie.

She said: "I put a request out on Twitter and over 100 authors got back to me, some sending four or five books - all signed.

"We received a lovely picture by Tom Johnstone and local author Paul Bristow who donated The Superpower Project, which was shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize and we had a donation from Megan Murray from Gourock."

"We've received books from lots of Scottish authors and illustrators such as Gordon Bruce illustrator, author and illustrator Nick Sharratt, of Shark in the Park fame, and award-winning author Debbie Gliori and SF Said."

Julie, who also has an older son Ryan, 15, juggles her passion for writing with a part-time post in the education department at East Renfrewshire Council.

She is delighted at the way her charity auction is taking off.

She said: "We've had £1,000 in bids in less than a week.

"It's been great because when I'm promoting the auction on Twitter, all the authors and artists are promoting it too and teachers are librarians are sharing it."

If anyone would like to bid for a book they should go online and visit www.julie.clientsandbox.co.uk