HUNDREDS of friends and family of the much-loved mother-of-three Sarah Nixon have said their final goodbye to the “beautiful and selfless” nurse.

The majestic Durham Cathedral was a fitting setting for the emotional service where Sarah’s close family, friends and colleagues remembered the 38-year-old.

Sunshine broke through the cloud and streamed into the main hall where the funeral congregation yesterday said goodbye to Sarah, who died after battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

At the heart of the service was the importance of love and how much Sarah devoted herself to her three children Oliver, five, Sophia, three and three-month-old Poppy, as well her husband Chris.

In a moving tribute Sarah was as remembered as “a beautiful, elegant, selfless, kind, loyal, sweet and endearing lady who loved life with a passion, showing kindness and care to all who knew her.”

The congregation heard how Sarah and Chris loved to travel, and after buying a camper van would go exploring new places most weekends with Oliver and Sophia in what were the “best days of their lives, a family unit having fun and discovering new places”.

The voices of the choir flooded the cathedral as they sang anthem A Clare Benediction.

Reinforcing the importance of Sarah’s love for her family was a poignant reading of Corinthians 13 and the uplifting hymns, Morning Has Broken and All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Addressing the congregation, the Reverend Ruth Jagger said: “Her life was far too short, but all of our amazing memories of Sarah shall last forever.”

“Ecstatic” at discovering she was pregnant, Sarah’s health suddenly deteriorated after Poppy was born, six weeks premature, by emergency Caesarean section. Doctors found cancer in her ovaries.

Remaining brave until her final days Sarah, a part-time nurse at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, refused to be sedated so that she was conscious to see her children when they visited her in hospital each day.

On December 5, Sarah and Chris were told she had between three and six months to live. On January 17 she passed away surrounded by loved ones. Since his wife’s death Chris, who lives in Rickleton, Washington, has vowed to raise funds for cancer research.

In the 24 hours since he set up a fundraising page in Sarah’s name, almost £6,000 has been donated.

To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/ sarah-nixon-newcastle