Pub regulars have helped raise more than £1,200 towards the cost of buying a headstone for an eight-year-old girl who died last year.

Megan Cobby won the hearts of Argus readers after the paper reported how she was battling against leukaemia.

The eight-year-old died on September 26 last year after picking up an infection and spending three days on a life support machine.

Megan's mum Julie Finnemore and her two sons were devastated by the little girl's death.

They wanted to ensure she got the best headstone possible for her grave at the Bear Road cemetery in Brighton.

The family chose a headstone but have since been trying to raise £1,700 to pay for it.

Julie's cousin Sally Stuckley, who runs The Eclipse pub in Montgomery Street, Hove, held a fund-raising event before Christmas to help.

It raised £1,250, including one anonymous donation of £100.

Julie said: "A man just came up to me off the street and handed me the money. He said he'd read about Megan in the Argus and wanted to take some of the strain off me.

"There are some really kind people out there."

Megan's family, of Meadowview, Brighton, still needs £450 towards the headstone, which has dolphins and an angel on it.