Fairytale welcome home for brave Lily
Scone Palace was lit up pink on Tuesday night as a huge community salute to mark the homecoming from hospital of Lily Douglas, the brave Perthshire youngster with cancer.
The walls of Scone Palace were ablaze with pink floodlighting from 9.30pm to 10.30pm and the stately home’s stunning reflection was visible from the opposite bank of the River Tay at North Muirton, where Lily and her mum live.
Jane Douglas took her daughter to the riverside to see the palace, turned pink just for her. The community gathered to show their support f o r ‘Perth’s Princess’.
Louise
Coombs and
Mitch Murison from Audiowave, Dundee, answered a request to light Scone Palace for Lily with the help of Perthshire Sound and Light which provided the spotlights, generator and additional assistance – all on an evening when a fierce thunderstorm was brewing.
A burst of fireworks went off at the palace at 10pm.
Lily’s house also received attention from the professional lighting companies which volunteered their services to turn it her favourite colour pink, as a surprise for Lily and her mum.
Their garden was decorated with a fullsize lit up unicorn and bunches of balloons.
The gestures – Light Up North Muirton for Lily Douglas, a page on Facebook which amassed 3000 likes in under a week – were organised by Irene McDonald, a mum and early years practitioner who spent nine years at the local school.
She did fundraising for the youngster three years ago. Irene felt moved to do it again and called Lily “a star, absolutely inspirational”.
Irene said: “I started this page in the hope that people would put some nice wee decorations out for Lily or do a window display to welcome her home.
“If, God forbid, something ever happened to me, I know I would want the community to wrap its arms around me.
“It’s beyond moving to see the good in people coming together and I thank every single one of you, for the generosity, the donations and the lovely messages.”
Another pal, Kristy Emerson sent out flyers and organised an online raffle to boost the amount of money that will benefit Lily and help to make happy memories.
The prizes, donated from local businesses included a £50 travel voucher from Stagecoach, both a family and a baby photo session worth £100 each from Kat Lewis Photography, a handmade silver necklace and earrings from Diana King Jewellery, plus a signed St Johnstone football.
Marian of Marians of Perth donated a beautiful wreath for Lily’s front door.
Hayley Clow, Lily’s cousin, worked flat out collecting 1000 raffle entries and put up balloons around North Muirton’s streets.
Family friend Erin McNicol set up a fundraising page, Funds for Lily Douglas, to bring Lily (12) some comfort after a rough time in hospital. Lily had to get emergency treatment at Ninewells Hospital on August 2, but she was allowed home on Tuesday.
The aim of the www.gofundme.com appeal, only launched last week, is to add to Lily’s care and comfort at home.
So far the £1000 target was smashed within days and £13,000 has been pledged by over 600 donors.
Tuesday’s lights followed Lily’s return home to Perth from recent treatment in the Dundee hospital.
Residents in North Muirton put up pink balloons in their gardens and families put messages in their windows bearing Lily’s name to show their admiration for the award-winning young dancer.
Smeaton’s Bridge in Perth was lit up with pink lights earlier this week and there could be a request put in to Perth and Kinross Council by a family member to put up a plaque and have the landmark bridge change its name to ‘Lily’s Bridge’ to mark the local girl’s ongoing three and a half-year ordeal with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.
Lily was only nine when she got her shocking stage four diagnosis, originally seeing a GP because her mum thought pain in her leg was down to overexercising.
One person who sent money into the appeal commented as they left their donation: “I have never had the pleasure of meeting Lily but from everything I’ve seen and heard about her, she is the most awe-inspiring person I’ve ever known of.
“Her bravery and positivity is truly amazing. With the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, I’d do anything to keep that smile shining.”
The community rallied round to help make Lily’s return home special