'We want to thank her for being a part of our lives' say heartbroken Sheffield parents who lost baby daughter aged just three days

Georgia Rae Wright was diagnosed in the womb with a rare heart condition, and further complications meant she was born seven weeks premature, weighting just 2lb 8oz.

Her parents Ellen Siddall and Matt Wright, of Southey Green, had to take the agonising decision to switch off her life support but say they will always treasure the hours they had with her.

Unable to afford a fitting funeral, they launched a crowdfunding appeal and have been overwhelmed by the response - with more than £1,800 pouring in over the first few few days.

They are still seeking to raise more for a memorial stone, and plan to donate any leftover money to the neonatal unit at Leeds General Infirmary and Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in gratitude for the 'wonderful' care they and little Georgia received.

Matt, a 39-year-old retail manager, said: "When we saw our beautiful baby daughter, it was love at first sight. We will never forget her, and we want to thank her for being a part of our lives.

"It breaks our hearts to know we will never see her growing up. We'll miss her first tooth, her first steps, her first day at school, and all those other special moments.

"We wanted to give her the send-off she deserves and it's such a relief to know we can do so thanks to the donations we've received, many of which came from complete strangers.

"This just shows us there are good people in the world, and we will be eternally grateful for what they've done for us."

Matt reserved special thanks for the community at the nightclub Niche, where his brother Nev is a DJ, and to fellow Sheffield Wednesday fans, especially members of the Owlstalk forum, for their support.

Georgia was diagnosed at 20-week gestation with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare heart defect.

She was delivered on February 6 at 33 weeks as her mother's placenta had stopped working, and after birth she was found to have tracheo-oesophageal fistula and oesophageal atresia, meaning her digestive tube had not formed properly.

She was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where medics told her parents they could perform an operation but Georgia's chances of survival would be extremely slim.

Ellen, aged 30, said: "We decided we didn't want to put her through that. We wanted to let her die with dignity.

"When they turned off Georgia's life support she survived another 13 hours and managed to see a third day of life.

"We felt so privileged to have that time with her. I'd only been able to hold my daughter's hand before then, but we got to hold her in our arms, bathe her and say a proper goodbye. I will treasure those memories."

Matt and Ellen have two older children: Hayden, aged nine, and six-year-old Layla.

Hayden was able to hold Georgia during the brief time the family had with her, and he wrote the touching note 'I wish you could annoy me like Layla does'.

* Georgia's funeral will take place at Ecclesfield Church on March 5, at midday, followed by a reception at the Cow and Calf pub on Skew Hill Lane in Grenoside.

* You can help pay for Georgia's memorial stone by donating at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ellenmarie-siddall.