A DETERMINED teenager who battled cancer is looking forward to a bright future after her charity ball was an astounding success.

Clitheroe Grammar School student Francesca Wheatley, who missed a third of high school after being diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma at 14, will be heading to university this autumn to help fulfil her dream of becoming a charity fundraiser.

The 18-year-old, who lives in Woodlands Park in Whalley, hopes to attend LSE to study Social Policy after taking A-levels in Politics, Geography and Religious Education.

She recently helped raise £4,000 for CLIC Sargent after 170 people attended her event at Mytton Fold Hotel in Langho in memory of two best friends who passed away within months of each other last year.

Francesca, who was given the all clear in 2010, said the charity supported her and her friends while they underwent treatment at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and The Christie.

She was the subject of national acclaim in 2011 when she gained 11 GCSEs after taking some of her exams while on a morphine drip.

She said: “I didn’t let cancer stop me from aiming high and I think that it’s just made me more determined.

“Having two friends pass away and missing quite a lot of school, even in the sixth form after my all-clear, was really hard, but I just pushed myself more.

“I can’t wait to go to university and I’d love to be a charity fundraiser when I finish because I love making memories for people.

“I never expected to raise so much money through the ball, so that was brilliant, and now I’m thinking about planning another one as well as doing a sponsored sky dive.

“I’m really grateful for all the support I’ve received from family, friends, my school and hospital staff.”