In memory of Nicole Dryburgh, Rotary Young Citizen 2008

Photograph: Nicole Dryburgh and Robin Gibb at the Diana Awards

There will be a special service at Canterbury Cathedral to celebrate the life of an incredible and inspirational young woman, Rotary Young Citizen 2008 Award winner Nicole Dryburgh, who died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage in May. The service in her memory will take place at the Cathedral on 29th June at 2pm.

Nicole, who celebrated her 21st birthday in February, suffered a brain haemorrage at her home on Sunday 16th of May.

She was a remarkable young lady with many achievements to her name including receiving the Diana Award, writing two books, penning a weekly column for her local paper, running a website and raising thousands of pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Nicole's fundraising activities knew no bounds and she abseilled down the side of King's College Hospital in London. She raised £43,000 to fund Nicole’s Sweet, a paediatric neuro-rehabilitation suite on Lion Ward at King’s College Hospital and last year, she launched Nicole's Fund to raise £100,000 to help build a specialist TeenageCancerTrust Unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital's branch in Surrey. She had so far raised £76,000 towards that target.

These achievements were made all the more inspiring as she was fighting a battle against cancer which had left her paralysed from the legs down, deaf and blind. She was first diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 11 and was determined to overcome it.

Nicole enjoyed so much receiving her Rotary Young Citizen Award in Blackpool in 2008 and everything that happened afterwards, including her trip to New York - thanks to Rotary - and meeting Prince Harry. There was also all her fundraising activities. 

She celebrated her 21st Birthday in February and was so pleased that she had been free of her spinal cancer for three years.

Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland would like to pass on heartfelt condolences to Nicole's family at this sad time.

if you would like to donate to Nicole's Fund and help reach the £100,000 target, click here.

If you are planning to attend the memorial service on the 29th of June, please confirm by contacting Louise Beasley at Teenage Cancer trust.