A year since eight-year-old Kieran's death, the family home in Horatio Street, Roker, is filled with mementos of the youngster who touched the hearts of Wearsiders as he battled terminal cancer.

Today, his family spoke of their wish to celebrate the short life of the plucky lad who will forever be known as the real-life Peter Pan – the little boy who will never grow up.

Mum Victoria Kemp, who gave birth to 7lb 10oz Errin on February 7, said: "We don't want to be sad for the kids' sakes, we want the anniversary to be more of a celebration.

"Having a new baby helps because it keeps me busy and keeps my mind off things."

Just weeks before Kieran lost his three-year battle with terminal neuroblastoma, cancer of the nervous system, Victoria gave birth to another bundle of joy – Stephanie Peebles.

Victoria said: "Stephanie is now 14 months old and when you say 'where's Kieran?' she points at his picture.



"Kieran idolised Stephanie and she's becoming the spitting image of him.

"We have a cabinet in the corner of the living room that is filled with Kieran's things: his Sunderland badges, his Pride of Wearside award, things like that."

Kieran's other siblings, Darren 11, Natasha, 12, and stepsister Nikita, 10, will also be on hand to tell their baby sisters about their courageous brother.

Kieran went to sleep surrounded by his family on March 20 last year. He was struck down with incurable cancer in 2003, but despite his illness, the youngster was determined to live life to the full.

Realising her little boy only had a short time left, devoted mum Victoria launched a fund-raising drive to help her youngest son achieve his last wishes of meeting Santa Claus, Peter Pan and Mickey Mouse.

Thanks to generous donations from family, friends and Echo readers, Kieran was able to realise his dreams and in December 2005 he flew to Lapland to meet Santa.

The trip was followed by a holiday to Disneyland to meet Mickey and his hero Peter Pan and there was even enough money left to take Kieran to Tenerife to swim with dolphins.

Now his ashes lie at his favourite spots on Wearside: the Stadium of Light, where football-mad Kieran was a regular; by the River Wear, where he would spend hours fishing with his grandad; and Carley Hill Quarry, where he spent hours riding his quad bike with is brother and sister.

Since his death the family have kept his memory alive in a Peter Pan memorial in the grounds of Dame Dorothy School, Monkwearmouth, where he was a pupil and by selling a booklet of the lad's favourite fairy tales to raise funds for other children with cancer.

The book, called Keeping the Magic Alive, written by Kieran's gran Anne Kemp, sold 400 copies.

Anne, 56, who is married to Derek said: "We used the money to buy personal DVD players for the hospital so that kids can use them when they are confined to their beds because of chemotherapy."