IT WAS standing room only in a Suffolk church as hundreds gathered to say goodbye to brave teenager Carla Dawson.Carla died last Monday, aged just 19, following an eight year battle against bone cancer.

IT WAS standing room only in a Suffolk church as hundreds gathered to say goodbye to brave teenager Carla Dawson.

Carla died last Monday, aged just 19, following an eight year battle against bone cancer.

At St Michael and the Angels Church in Brantham around 300 people came together to pay tribute to her amazing courage.

Her favourite song "I am your Angel" by R Kelly and Celine Dion was played and family and friends battled through their grief to talk about Carla and read out poems.

One poem was read out by a friend of Carla's who she had met at St Elizabeth Hospice while his mother was dying of cancer.

Reverend Sharon Swain who lead the funeral said that the friend, Dan Baldwin had raised £5,000 for the hospice in memory of his mother through climbing mountains and was now preparing to raise money in memory of Carla.

A form teacher from her old school, East Bergholt High, also read a poem in her memory.

In her sermon, Rev Swain told the mourners that Carla had taught them all something during her life.

She said: "She taught us how to live and how to approach death.

"She taught us to make the most of every day of our lives no matter how long we live."

Rev Swain also said that Carla had never blamed anyone during her illness and never asked 'Why me?'

She said: "They will never forget her because their lives will be different because of her."

Carla was extremely well known in Brantham and Rev Swain said that even the primary school had raised money in her memory through doing several nativity plays in the last week.