A FAMILY needs a helping hand to give a girl with 'the most infectious personality' a fitting send-off.

Ty-Elisse Ratcliff died on Tuesday, 12 February at the age of 14 after a life-long battle with epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

Her passing was unexpected and so Ty-Elisse's family, from South Ham, is now making an appeal to help them pay for the funeral costs to say a proper goodbye to the teenager.

Mum Charlotte said: "Every day has been a battle and a struggle for her.

"She was wheelchair-bound and non-verbal, but could communicate through her smile, her laugh and her tears when she was upset.

"She had the most infectious personality. Everybody that met her absolutely fell in love with her.

"She was such a fighter for her entire life, but she was always so bubbly. Even after her surgeries she would come out laughing and smiling.

"We had a couple of scares before when she has had pneumonia and we were told to prepare for the worst but this was very unexpected. I woke up on the Tuesday to check on her and she had died overnight."

Around three weeks prior to her death, Ty-Elisse had undergone an operation on her ankles which she was recovering well from. The cause of her passing remains a mystery for Charlotte, her partner Matthew and Ty-Elisse’s two brothers, aged 11 and seven.

More than 100 people came to an event on Saturday at Russell Howard Park to remember Ty-Elisse.

Charlotte added: "It was just amazing. There were people there we didn't even know.

"But it just went to show how many people's lives she had touched."

The family has asked for £2,500 to cover the funeral costs.

To donate, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tysfinaljourney.