A youngster from Leswalt has marked the end of two years of cancer treatment by turning on the Christmas lights at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
Eight-year-old Emma Shirley turned on the lights on Friday – the same day she visited the hospital to ring the bell marking the end of two years of treatment for leukaemia.
Mum Joanna said: “Emma rang the bell – that’s her finished her treatment. No more chemo, no more medicines.
“The staff have just been amazing. Any advice, they’re a telephone call away. And when we come here and it’s an emergency, they talk us through what they’re doing with Emma. They’re just so friendly towards Emma. They treat us like part of a family.”
A choir from Dumfries Academy’s choir performed at the switch on, with Father McFadden speaking about the significance of the lights on the tree.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway director of public health, Valerie White, said: “Thank you so, so much for bringing some Christmas cheer to our lights switch-on today.”