THE family of a “truly inspirational” little girl are aiming to keep her memory alive with the launch of a new business venture and fundraising for the hospice which cared for her.

Darcy, who lived in Malton with her parents Emily and Kristian D’Rosario, died on January 24, from a heart condition just five days after her sister, Beatrice, was born.

The six-year-old, who attended Norton Primary School, was due to undergo an operation at Leeds General Infirmary when an infection went to her heart.

Kristian said: “We had been thinking of setting up a business for a couple of years and following the death of Darcy we were inspired to do it in her memory.

“Her confidence and zest for life motivated us to follow our dreams and passion and to enable Darcy to live on forever through Love Darcy Clothing.”

Kristian said the clothing had been well received and they were aiming to expand the range.

“Every slogan on our clothing is inspired by Darcy herself, whether that be phrases she used to say or words we feel encompassed Darcy’s personality,” he said.

Emily said they were also raising money for Martin House Hospice in Wetherby and had so far raised more than £1,100, including a donation of £524 from the One Stop shop in Norton.

“After Darcy passed away, we were able to spend five days by her side at the hospice, creating memories as a family of four that we will treasure forever,” she said.

“They treated Darcy with such care and compassion and as a mother, going through the worst time of my life, it meant the world to me to see them tucking her into her bed and talking to her as if she was still alive.

“It’s the little things that matter when you do not have much left to hold on to. There wasn’t anything the staff at Martin House wouldn’t do for us while we were there.

“We were able to make memories and keepsakes and we will now be able to give Bea gifts from her big sister when she is older.”

Emily added: “End of life care is not all Martin House provide either, they also provide respite care. Every child we came in contact with had huge smiles on their faces.

“The parents looked relaxed and the staff were genuinely happy to work here. The whole house oozed joy.

“Even though we were there for different reasons, you couldn’t help but to be moved by how

inspirational the whole place was.”

For more information on Love Darcy Clothing go to lovedarcyclothing.com and to make a donation to the fundraising go to darcy-roger.muchloved.com/Fundraising