THE family of a mother-of-five who died in a fire at her Clitheroe home last weekend are asking for donations to be made to the firefighters who tried to save her.

Pauline Stannard, 45, died in the blaze at her Lime Street home last Sunday as two of her children, Jack, 15, and Kathleen, 12, scrambled to safety through an upstairs window.

Jack bravely tried to get back into the house to rescue his mother, but was beaten back by the flames.

Fire crews later found Mrs Stannard's body in the living room. Her funeral will be held at Christ Church, Chatburn, tomorrow.

Mrs Stannard's eldest daughter, Sharon Saunders, 27, said she made the decision to give any donations to Clitheroe Fire and Rescue Service for their efforts in trying to save her mother.

She added that relatives and neighbours were rallying round to make it as happy a Christmas as possible for Bowland High School pupils Jack and Kathleen, with the help of their brother and sister Christine, 13, and Andrew, 19.

She said of Jack and Kathleen, who are staying with her at her Billington home: "They are bearing up as well as can be expected."

"We have heard that neighbours have had a collection of money and clothes and we'd like to say thank you to them."

A door-to-door collection in the Lime Street and Tower Hill area of Clitheroe has raised more than £100. And residents and local firms are also believed to be collecting cash and donating clothes for the youngsters.

Dave McGrath, fire station officer at Clitheroe, said of the family's decision to donate money to the fire and rescue service: "Our thoughts are with the family at this time and we are eternally grateful to them for deciding to make this generous donation to us."

He added that he, along with fellow fire officer Ronnie Eatough, would be attending Mrs Stannard's funeral.

Investigations into the fire revealed it was caused by a discarded cigarette and that a smoke detector at the house did not have a battery in it.

It was initially thought the fire may have started from an electrical fault in the living room, possibly caused by Christmas fairy lights, but this was later ruled out.

Now fire officers are sending out a clear message to people to fit smoke detectors on every level of their homes in a bid to prevent further tragedy.

Dave McGrath said: "We cannot advise people enough about the importance of having smoke detectors in their homes."

"Over 400 leaflets were distributed in the Clitheroe area only two weeks before the death of Mrs Stannard, telling people that fires can be prevented if they stop and listen and act on our advice.

"If people don't already have them, we will fit smoke detectors for free and give advice."