A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl battling a brain tumour is preparing for a pilgrimage to Lourdes after telling her mother: "God is going to make me better."

Sophie White, of Shadsworth, Blackburn, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and has undergone two life-saving operations.

Now members of Blackburn's Knights of St Columba have raised almost £6,000 to send her on the trip to France with her mother, Julie, and older sister, Stacey, 14.

And before setting off on Friday, Julie said: "The Knights of St Columba suggested that Sophie might benefit from the trip to Lourdes, and even though I myself am not Catholic, Sophie has a strong belief in God. She talks about God a lot and says she can feel a funny feeling in her tummy, which she thinks is God.

"Just the other day she told me that a patch of sun on the garden fence was Jesus and God looking after her.

"Even if the trip doesn't cure the tumour, it has given Sophie something to look forward to. She hasn't been on a plane since she was two, so is she really excited."

Millions of Catholic worshippers make the pilgrimage to the holy Lourdes, in southern France, every year due to miraculous acts of healing believed to have occurred at the site.

Not only have people gained encouragement and hope from their visit - but many claim to have fully recovered from illness after bathing in the famous springs.

Sophie, a pupil at St Anthony's RC School, in Blackburn, has a tumour attached to her brain stem. which surgeons are not able to totally remove.

She has just completed 18 months of chemotherapy and her family are now anxiously waiting for results after her latest brain scan. If the tumour is growing back, Sophie will have to undergo a further dose of radiotherapy.

Her mother said: "The symptoms started in April 2002. Sophie had a weakness down her right side and a squint in her right eye had developed. She was complaining of headaches and was being sick.

"When she was diagnosed with a brain tumour I was devastated. Watching your child go through so much is absolutely heart-breaking."

She said she wanted to thank everyone for their help and support, especially the Knights of St Columba, a catholic men's organisation who raised £5,772.54 . They held a presentation social at St Joseph's Church, Audley.

James Wilkinson, the group's Grand Knight, said: "We met Sophie earlier this year and immediately took a shine to her."