A memorial plaque will serve as a lasting tribute to a much-loved Blacon teenager who died just weeks after being given the all-clear from cancer.

Jessica Versey of Hatton Road, had spent a year battling acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) after she was diagnosed in May 2014 at the age of 18 and despite having to go through months of aggressive and painful chemotherapy, doctors said her only hope would be a stem cell transplant donated to her by her 10-year-old sister Maisy.

The sisters underwent the operation last October with Maisy being crowned Young Champion of the Year at Trinity Mirror's annual Your Champions Awards, and Jessica was overjoyed to be given the all-clear just before Christmas.

But in a tragic twist of fate, she contracted an infection which claimed her life on June 9 this year, leaving her friends and family heartbroken.

Now, founders of the Blacon Defibrillator Fund (BDF) have arranged for a lifesaving defibrillator and a special plaque bearing her name to adorn the new Enterprise Centre at the Parade in Blacon, the area Jessica called home and was fiercely proud of.

A plaque that has been unveiled in Blacon in tribute to the late Jessica Versey

Lee Challinor from the BDF who was present at the plaque’s unveiling last Friday, said Jessica was a keen supporter of the BDF and that donations at her funeral were given to the cause, some of which will be used to fund a defibrillator at her former school, Queen’s Park High.

“We thought it would be a nice touch for the family - we received donations from her funeral which we were so grateful for,” he told The Chronicle. “Jess was so inspirational, not just to Blacon but all over the world. I think a fitting tribute to someone who played such a big part in helping people with cancer stay positive was much needed. She proved you could still get on with your life even with cancer. “

Lee added: “I know Jessica didn’t die of cardiac arrest but she left a remarkable legacy and for her family to give donations from her funeral to us, well we were just incredibly touched by that. The defibrillator at her old school will be another legacy to her.

“The plaque is a memorial preserving her memory and it’s also for her family. It’s nice for them to walk past it every day and see her name. She loved Blacon so much. Jess was one in a million. Her memory will live on forever as long as that plaque is there. “