MORE than 600 people gathered to pay their last respects to a teenager who died suddenly from a suspected food allergy.

Francesca Sanna, 19, known as Mim' was remembered at an emotional service at Accrington Crematorium yesterday.

Tributes were led on behalf of the family by Barry Burke, headteacher at Rhyddings Busi-ness and Enterprise School, Oswaldtwistle, where she was a pupil.

The biodegradable willow coffin, chosen to reflect her unique personality, was brought into the building to You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor.

Mr Burke read the eulogy written by mother Kim Sanna and the rest of the family, who own Franco's restaurant in Union Road, Oswaldtwistle.

He said from an early age the bubbly youngster, of Fielding Lane, Oswaldtwistle, suffered from eczema which involved her being dashed to hospital on numerous occasions and involved many sleepless nights for her and her family.

The congregation were told how she attended Rhyddings Park Nursery, but wasn't treated differently despite food allergies meaning she had to be strict with her food.

Instead of the usual packed lunches, Mim had a lunch "fit for a king" consisting of prawns and smoked salmon.

When she was eight she decided she wanted to take up dancing.

Her family took her to ballet but the reaction from Mim was "If you think I'm wearing one of those pink frilly things you can think again", read Mr Burke.

Described as "always one to speak her mind" and "not one to do things quietly", she decided clog dancing was for her which took her from performing at Oswaldtwistle Mills to the Millennium Dome in London and to Disney World in Florida.

Mr Burke said she left school with "fantastic" GCSEs and left college with "great" A-level results before ditching the "unsociable" hours working in the family restaurant for a career as an accounts assistant in Blackburn.

He said: "She brought so much to our lives but took nothing out of it. Mim loved a fuss but we are sure even she would be stunned by the fantastic number of people here today.

"The hundreds of cards, letters, flowers, phone calls, visits and donations mean so much to us. We thank you all."

Committal was to Over the Rainbow' by Eva Cassidy before the congregation were asked to share their memories of Francesca at the wake held at Franco's.