Paige Dougall: £10,000 donated to appeal to create music charity in memory of Kirkcaldy teen

Over £10,000 has poured into a fundraiser in memory of talented teenage Kirkcaldy singer, Paige Dougall.

Paige Dougall meets Ella Henderson ahead of their studio recording

The 17-year old, passed away last week, just months after recording her debut single with pop star Ella Henderson. She was just 17.

Paige had been battling stage four Ewing’s sarcoma since a diagnosis in 2019.

Her remarkable talent was featured in a news report filmed by STV who arranged for her to meet Ella.With the help of Scots singer Callum Beattie, they met in London to record Paige’s stunning song “Going Through Hell” which documented her cancer journey.

It earned a place in the UK top 40.

One of Paige’s final wishes was to set up a charity in her name, which offers music therapy and lessons to other young people battling cancer - and since her death, donations have poured in.

It was set up by close schoolfriend Dominika Valente, and it smashed its original £5000 target within one day.

Paige Dougall

The fundraiser also aims to give Paige “the send off she deserves.”

Dominika said: “We have been thrilled by the response.

“Her family have been overwhelmed by the donations, as well as cards and flowers.

“We set an initial goal of £5000 and didn’t expect it to kick off the way it did - it shows that Paige touched so many people, and they are remembering her.”

The singer’s cancer journey was outlined with astonishing honesty in her debut single.

Paige entered remission in July 2020, just in time for her 16th birthday, but relapsed last February when scans revealed the metastatic cancer had come back quickly and aggressively, posing an even bigger threat than before.

She continued to show immense courage and never gave up on her dream of recording music.

In December, she spent a short spell in Victoria Hospice in Kirkcaldy, but towards Christmas she returned home and passed away surrounded by her family.

Dominika said: “Paige loved everything to do with music - she listened to it all the time, sang and played guitar. It was a huge part of her life.

“Her wish was a charity which was music based to help children in hospital.

“We’ve had offers of donations of instruments as well as contributions to the appeal - we want the charity to give children the same opportunities Paige had through music.

“It really, really helped her through her journey.”

Tributes were led by Ella Henderson who said she was “so grateful to have been a part of Paige’s journey.”

The singer said the news of her death was heartbreaking, adding: “What she faced and then how she handled it right to the end - she just had the strength and defiance of someone in their late 50s."

Ella also said the release of her own new single ‘Brave' was dedicated to Paige.

Scots singer Callum Beattie also described the Kirkcaldy teenager as “a really, really special soul.”

Posting on Facebook, he added: “She came into our lives like a wee tornado, and she made us laugh and smile, and usually also made us check our egos at the door too!

"Since our first moments with her until our last, we have always just felt like part of the same family, and that’s a very, very precious and rare thing.”

To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/paige-dougall-funeral-costs-and-charity-startup?utm_campaign=p_lico%20share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwAR0RQEbQswxD1wI3ejAkV0DuRQq8P5g8jq2QpO4iIobQVeHh5Jiuu65o1NA

To download ‘Going Through Hell’, please visit: Going Through Hell Apple Music, Going Through Hell Spotify, Going Through Hell Amazon Music.

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