A BRAVE young Runcorn schoolgirl has returned from London after visiting Cherie Blair at her Downing Street home.

Earlier this year, 10-year-old Rebecca Randles suffered the loss of her little sister, Kerry, nine, who was being cared for at Claire House Children's Hospice on the Wirral.

It was while Kerry was being looked after at Claire House that Rebecca first met Cherie and even sat aboard a police motorbike with her.

Rebecca said :'Cherie Blair is really nice and kind.'

Rebecca and her mum Dawn, of Maple Avenue, were invited to Downing Street last month, along with other patients and their families from Claire House.

Dawn said: 'When we got our invite I was a bit shocked but couldn't wait. It was really nice to be included by Claire House and we got treated like royalty.'

Rebecca, who attends Victoria Road Primary school wrote a report on her once-ina-life-time visit. In it she said: 'When we got to London we had a police escort who led us through London. We passed the Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, the flag was raised which means the Queen was at home, and the Houses of Parliament.

'We parked outside the gates of Downing Street. We had to show our invitations and passports to the policeman at the gate. Then we had to walk through an X-ray machine and put our bags through an X-ray machine, like in an airport. There were lots of police with guns guarding outside Downing Street.

'When we went into Number 10 it was a lot bigger than it looked outside. We saw Winston Churchill's reading chair and a desk which people believe Chamberlain wrote his letter to Hitler in World War Two.

'As you went up the staircase there were portraits of every Prime Minister; when the present Prime Minister leaves his portrait is put at the top and everyone else is moved down.

'We then went into the terracotta room and Cherie and Claire Sweeney gave a speech. After that we were allowed to look around by ourselves.

'I saw particles which had been brought back from the moon; we looked at the art which had been brought from the National Gallery.'

During her visit Rebecca got the chance to present Cherie Blair with a card that she had made. In return, she was given a leaflet about Number 10 signed by Cherie.

Rebecca, Dawn and the other guests were also treated to a trip in a luxury coach on which they enjoyed a four-course meal and champagne.

Rebecca added: 'It was a great day and Downing Street was unbelievable.'