THE family of a nine-year-old girl who died in North Yorkshire have raised almost £5,000 in her memory.

Harriet Forster, from Bicester, died when she was struck by crumbling rocks in Staithes in August, while on holiday.

Her funeral was held last week, with collections for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the charities which tried to save Harriet's life.

Her sister Sophie, 27, said: "Ever since it happened we have all been struck with a sense of helplessness.

"Harriet was amazing, wonderful, lovely and kind and it is so important for us that something positive came out of all this."

More than 400 people attended Harriet's funeral, and the family said they soon realised many more people, including the community in Staithes, wanted to do something positive in Harriet's memory and Sophie set up an online fundraising page.

In just five days the page raise almost £5,000 for the charities in hundreds of donations from across the country.

Sophie said: "The two charities were so important for my mum because they helped Harriet.

"From my point of view also, what an awful thing for my mum to go through on her own and it was those people [from the emergency services] who were there and looked after her when we couldn’t. For that I am so grateful."

The family is still coming to terms with Harriet's tragic death. Sophie said: "It is obviously still very early on for us all and every day we are trying to get used to the fact that we won't see Harriet again."

Now turning their attentions to fundraising, the family said they have found comfort in the many messages of support they have received.

Sophie added: "It really does help particularly in all the messages that we have been getting through, support and love from total strangers.

"It has also been comforting to have something to do as a bit of a distraction."

So far, the fundraising pages have racked up £4,365 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and £557.50 for the RNLI.

Sophie, who works in publishing, added: "The response has been amazing, when I first started it I put the target as £300 and within the hour it soon became obvious it could go much further than that.

"As a family we have been so blown away, it is incredibly heart-warming and touching.

"It is a relief that something so happy can come at such a horrible time and it is so fitting for Harriet – she just had so much love to give."

More than 200 people have helped raise funds to leave a lasting legacy for the youngster whose family describe her as 'the light of their lives'.

Sophie said: "She was just the coolest girl I knew, she always had time for everyone, keen to learn and so clever.

"She was definitely a character and just embraced everyone."

In an appeal to other families she urged: "Go and give your kids a hug, tell them that you love them.

"Don't have kids? Phone your parents and tell them you love them, you never know when it could be the last time you say it."

To donate in Harriet's memory go to tinyurl.com/y85nylpo and bit.ly/Harriet-RNLI