A woman has been praised by friends and family for her outstanding charity fundraising efforts over the past 36 years after her daughter died of a brain tumour.

Val Fletcher, a retired bank clerk from Chadacre Road, Stoneleigh, began fundraising after her daughter Zoe died aged 15 at The Royal Marsden in 1976.

Having run hundreds of running coffee mornings and bring and buy sales plus making and selling soft toys, she has raised £21,000 over 36 years for the children’s ward at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

She said: "When it was Zoe’s 16th birthday I felt I had to do something so we ran a coffee morning and got £100. So we decided to have a bring and buy sale and it extended from there.

"I was working in the city and I started to make soft toys and people bought them off me."

When the teenage cancer ward opened at the Royal Marsden in September last year, Mrs Fletcher began donating money raised to buy electronic equipment and crafts for seriously ill children.

This year her donation has bought a new laptop, Nintendo DS with games and craft equipment for the ward.

She said: "I was so delighted with the laptop because children must feel so isolated away from home and to be able to actually see their friends and family and talk to them, I thought was incredible.

"I think Zoe would have wanted us to help other people. That way it wasn’t just a life in vain. At least somewhere along the line she probably helped other children to get better."

Ann Conlin, a friend of Mrs Fletcher who has supported her charitable efforts over the years, described her as an "amazing" lady.

She said: "She helps everyone even if it’s just a kind word. She is a kind caring individual who is completely selfless in her ability to give.

"Her main priority is to continue to raise funds and thank everyone who supports her."

Mrs Fletcher added: "If other people didn’t help me I couldn’t do it. It’s a thank you for all the people that have helped me.

"As a family we would like to thank all the wonderful people who have supported us over all these years and made life more bearable for us."