Alice Tyson was just three when she was diagnosed with a rare condition that means she can get skin cancer just from being outdoors.

Called Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), it means any exposure to sunlight will damage her skin and significantly increase the chances.

The diagnosis changed her whole life.

She was told she must wear gloves and a special hat while outdoors, apply skin creams every two hours and attend hospital appointments every few months.

Since then Alice, of Moorhouse, has had four operations to remove small cancerous areas that have developed and she is now using a specialist chemotherapy cream to help keep it at bay.

Now 11, she is about to move on to secondary school - a major milestone for all children but particularly so for Alice, who has had strong support from her primary school at Kirkbampton.

Yesterday was her last day at her childhood school, and mum Tracey Tyson said they can’t thank everyone – and particularly headteacher Joan Routledge – enough.

“It was quite difficult for them when she was first diagnosed,” she said.

“She was in nursery, which is part of the school. They had to put special film on the nursery windows to stop the sun shining on her.

“Straightaway the head decided to get the whole school done.

“They’ve just been absolutely marvelous ever since. If they are going on trips they’ve always made sure the buses have blinds.”

More recently the school made sure Alice could join friends on the year six residential trip to Lakeside, on Windermere – her first trip away from home.

Alice said: “I didn’t think I’d be able to do a lot of the things, sailing and things like that. I just thought with my hat I couldn’t do them but now I have.

“It was fun.”

Mrs Routledge added: “We worked really hard to make it possible for Alice to participate with her peers – it was her first experience away from home without her family.

“We feel enormously privileged that she was allowed to go with us.”

Alice will now start Caldew School in Dalston in September, alongside three of her friends.

Tracey said staff there have already been helping to reassure them, with Alice going in for induction days.

“She has to apply her creams every two hours so she was worried about that, but they’ve shown her where she can keep them.

“They’ve also had all their windows done and held an assembly for the year sevens explaining about Alice and why she wears her hat.

“They are also going to be briefing all the teachers,” she added.

Alice still has regular hospital appointments and is going down to London in the summer to see a specialist.

Tracey said overall she copes really well, making a lot of friends and doing well in her SATS despite the extra pressures.

But she said it had become more difficult as Alice has grown older and become more aware of her appearance.

“She wants to hang out with her friends and wear make up,” she added.

“She doesn’t want to wear the hat a lot of the time. It’s difficult for her. I can understand why.

“She just wants to be able to do all the things her friends can do.”

Kirkbampton School’s Parent Teacher Association is donating proceeds from last weekend’s summer fayre to the Alice Tyson Foundation, to help fund her trips to London.