St Joseph’s pupil Amy-Leigh Beaton helped nurse her ‘nanny’ Jean Maxwell, 64, pictured, in her final months and was left devastated by her death.

But in the dark days after Jean passed away, the Ardgowan hospice’s children bereavement support service, the Butterfly project, came to Amy’s rescue and helped her cope with her loss.

As a way of saying thank you, the primary seven pupil led a fundraising day at her school in honour of the hospice.

Amy-Leigh said: “I really wanted to do something for the hospice because they helped me so much.

“I thought the hospice was great and it was a lovely place. I asked if I could do something in the school and they said yes.” Caring pupil Amy-Leigh decided to ask her head teacher Alan Graham if she could fundraise for the hospice.

The school had a non-uniform day with all donations going to the Hospice, raising £170.

Her proud dad Craig, 46, a mechanic, was full of praise for the support the hospice gave Amy-Leigh after Jean’s death.

He said: “Amy was devastated when her nanny died, but the people at the hospice were brilliant with her and Amy bonded with them. I don’t know how she would have managed without their support.

“It really, really helped her. Amy-Leigh is a lovely, quiet girl and she is so shy.” The close-knit family were left in shock when Jean was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and told she had only months to live.

Her daughter Margaret, 46 and son-in-law Craig asked her to come and stay with them so they could care for her round-the-clock before she passed away in the hospice in April 2013.

Craig, of Finch Road, added: “Looking back, it gave Amy-Leigh precious time with her gran.

“They were really close. But it has a hard time for all the family. At the same time my mum had a stroke and was in ill health.” At a presentation to the hospice this week, head teacher Alan Graham said: “It was a lovely gesture from Amy-leigh and raising money for charity is an important ethos within the school.” Hospice fundraising manager Elaine McNeil was delighted with the donation, adding: “It was a lovely gesture and we always appreciate the support we get from the community.”