'We'll do this little girl proud' - Funeral date announced for little Amelia Kolpa with people urged to line route playing Macarena

A funeral convoy filled with motorbikes and other vehicles - maybe even helicopters - is also being planned for Amelia Kolpa, from Rowley Regis.

The youngster had been battling stage-4 high-risk neuroblastoma since she was two years old. 

To celebrate her eighth birthday this year, while under palliative care, an appeal to grant her a simple birthday wish for cards saw her receive more than 250,000 birthday cards - smashing the 8,000 target and capturing the hearts of people across the region.

But on Tuesday night her heartbroken mum Katarzyna Bartczak announced the death of her daughter - saying she is 'no longer suffering.' 

Matt Lemm, who had organised the collecting and delivering of more than 60,000 birthday cards from across the world for Amelia, posted a video on social media today saying her funeral would be held on April 1 - a day earlier than originally planned. 

Mr Lemm, who is a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, had led hundreds of bikers at the start of February on a ride to Amelia's home in Rowley Regis and had become friends with the youngster while she battled Neuroblastoma.

In the video, the owner of Lockside Steakhouse in Stourbridge, said: "The date for the funeral has been changed. Forever smiling, forever joking, and forever tricking, it's now April Fools' Day.

"What more of a fitting day for that little prankster, that little bundle of joy that we called Amelia."

Speaking about the convoy being planned, Mr Lemm added: "Everything else remains the same, 12 o'clock from the Steakhouse, 1pm from Amelia's house and then we will follow the cars on the bikes, buggies, quads, trikes. We've had people messaging with helicopters, aeroplanes, all sorts."

He said he wanted people to line the procession route - with details to be released, and added that he especially wanted to see people there with portable speakers playing the Macarena. Many people had previously gathered together to dance the Macarena at the youngster's request to honour her birthday. 

Mr Lemm said: "We'll line the streets with people singing and dancing to the Macarena, and we'll do this little girl proud."

Following news of her death on Tuesday, Mr Lemm had posted an emotional message on Facebook to talk about Amelia and his memories of her.

He said he had been one of the last people, apart from her parents, to see her before she died and spoke about how she had changed his life and how they now shared a date, with March 17 also being his birthday.

He said: "I went today at 3.30pm and stayed there for an hour and she died about 30 minutes later, so with it being my birthday, it's a little bittersweet because, obviously, nobody wanted her to pass away, but we all knew the pain that little girl was in.

"I told her a few weeks ago when I was going on holiday that she should wait for me, which was just a passing comment, and she said she would and she did and she waited for me to get back on my birthday and now we share an anniversary.

"You tell me that we haven't got a connection and that it wasn't fate that she came into my life."

Mr Lemm said that before he met Amelia, he had been dealing with some personal issues and said that getting to know Amelia helped to glue together his broken heart.

He said: "The connection and the bond that that little girl and I had was so unmatched and I had a new best friend and she came along at the right time and it was like she was sent from somewhere and she mended me.

"I'm not broken again and while I'm broken hearted that she's gone, she's out of pain and she waited for me, so rest in peace Amelia, you made a grown man smile again.

"The fact we have an anniversary is good enough for me and I'll never forget you."