Brave Millie, 8, writes a book for bereaved children after her father dies

But in the midst of her grief, she found the strength to write about her feelings.

The poignant result, a book named My Daddy Is Dying, is being published by a cancer charity in the hope that it will help other youngsters cope with bereavement.

"I want other children to read it if they lose their daddy like me," she said.

Among Millie's pieces of advice is a suggestion that those feeling miserable should make a "Happy Feelings Cake".

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She writes: "Sometimes you will feel sad so you can make a cake of happy feelings. What you do is each ingredient is a happy thought.

"E.g. if it was me the flour could be my dog Daisy who makes me smile, the egg could be the start of the new beginning, the sugar could be the sweetness of your family or friends and the butter could be a thought about something you are looking forward to.

"When you decorate the cake the toppings can be happy feelings that you had about making the cake. Then you eat it and it makes you feel better because making it sort of takes your mind off feeling sad."

Millie's mother Gaynor Appleby, 37, from Exeter, said: "She was absolutely devastated when she lost her dad, and it broke my heart to see her grief. But she has been so strong - and her thoughts have always been with other children."

Mr Bell and Gaynor married after meeting at a folk festival when they were both 19. They separated in 2000 but remained close and Mr Bell, a manager for Western Power, regularly saw his daughter.

Mrs Appleby, who remarried in 2002, said: "Simon adored Millie, and she loved her dad to bits. He would smile at her and say, 'Hello my beautiful', whenever he came to pick her up."

In April 2004, as Mr Bell arrived one morning to collect Millie, he grabbed his head in pain. He told his ex-wife that he had been suffering bad headaches but that his doctor blamed stress.

It was another three months before the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital discovered a brain tumour.

Mrs Appleby said: "Simon was only 34 and full of life. He loved hang gliding and mountain biking. It just seemed so unfair. It was inoperable. The doctors told him he had three years left at most.

"I told Millie that her daddy had a lump in his head called cancer and the doctors were going to do all they could to try and help him.

"Then her small voice said, 'Is daddy going to die?' I told her I didn't know."

Mr Bell had chemotherapy and felt so well that in May 2005 he and Millie went on holiday together to Lanzarote.

"When he came back, he went rapidly downhill," said Mrs Appleby. "He suddenly lost his mobility and his speech.

"I took Millie to hospital to see him. 'The doctors can't make daddy better any more', I told her.

"She just ran into his arms and they held each other, tears pouring down their faces. Simon somehow managed to croak out the words, 'Hello my beautiful'.

"Millie would spend each weekend with him. Then one afternoon last May we were in the car and the phone rang. Simon had died. I'll never forget Millie's scream."

Millie read out a poem to the 300 mourners at her father's funeral - and soon after Mrs Appleby found her girl scribbling away on bits of paper which would form the book.

It is being published by the cancer charity Force, in conjunction with Western Power.

Mrs Appleby, whose second husband is also named Simon, added: "We are so proud of Millie. And I know her dad would have been too."