THE funeral of toddler Daniel Carrie will take place tomorrow in Darwen, the town that rallied to help him.

And dozens of mourners who raised funds for Daniel are expected to attend the service.

Five-year-old Daniel lost a three-year battle against a mystery breathing disorder and a post-mortem examination has revealed he died from natural causes.

Daniel, five, of Whitendale Crescent, Blackburn, first fell ill when he was 18 months old and needed round-the-clock care at Pendlebury Children's Hospital, Manchester, and later at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.

A team of six specialist nurses were trained to deal specifically with Daniel's condition, which meant he needed to be attached to a ventilator to breathe.

A close family friend said: "We can't believe he is dead.

His parents, Linda and Alex Carrie, moved from their home in Ivinson Road, Darwen, to the specially adapted home in Whitendale Crescent more than a year ago to be closer to Queen's Park Hospital, so that Daniel could return home for daily visits with his brothers and sisters.

The toddler had also begun attending a special school regularly.

A service for Daniel will be held at St James's Church at 10.45am followed by cremation at Pleasington.

Many residents of the St James's estate who raised thousands of pounds for vital equipment for Daniel are expected to attend.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.