Dream day out as England rugby mascot for poorly six-year-old girl

A six-year-old girl from Leicestershire with an inoperable brain tumour had a dream day out when she sang the national anthem in front of 48,000 fans as an England rugby mascot.

Rugby-mad Erinne, from Melton, had to give up playing the sport she loves after her recent diagnosis.

Her family arranged for her to walk out on to the Twickenham pitch with the England women's team on 20 April.

"I sang really loud because I wanted my family to hear me," Erinne said.

Her dad, Chris, said: "I might have cried a little bit."

"I could hear you sobbing from the middle of the pitch," Erinne said.

A clip of Erinne singing before the women's Six Nations match against Ireland went viral on social media.

She said she was excited to meet her favourite Red Roses player Marlie Packer.

"I felt a bit nervous when I got into the tunnel," Erinne said.

"But Marlie said she would come back for me, and I felt a bit braver after that."

Chris said Erinne's family wanted to create some special memories for her and asked the Rugby Football Union if she could be a mascot.

He said he got the idea when they were watching last year's England-France Six Nations game together.

"She said to me, 'daddy, would you be proud of me if I was was singing the national anthem?'," Chris said.

"I said, 'I'd be more proud than anything'."

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