A COLOURFUL painting created by talented schoolgirl Lydia Yilmaz who overcame cancer is at the heart of a charity auction by Scotland’s business leaders.

Lydia, seven, is a recipient of a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People star award in recognition of the courage showed during a fight back to health.

She was temporarily unable to walk after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia while on holiday in Turkey in November 2015.

She endured four rounds of chemotherapy during treatment which finally finished in January 2018.

Now to help other people going through the disease, Lydia who lives in Glasgow has donated one of her favourite paintings to the Business Beats Cancer fundraising dinner which around 300 guests will attend on February 27 at the Grand Central Hotel.

The annual dinner has raised more than £275,000 so far to fund vital research in to gentler and more effective treatments for cancer.

Lydia’s mum, Selen Yilmaz, who is a special guest at the dinner, is a professional ballerina and founder of Joimove International, which offers joyfulness sessions to people of all ages and helps build positivity in the community.

And she’s hugely proud of everything her daughter has achieved.

Selen, 36, said: “Lydia is such a caring little girl and loves the idea that the painting she so carefully created has the power to help people with cancer.

“I’ll be there to watch as her painting is auctioned off after dinner and I’ll tell Lydia all about it afterwards.

"Lydia gives the world a reason to dance every day. She’s proud to be able to give something back.”

To help other young patients, Lydia wrote and illustrated a book, “I like to go to the hospital” which is a collection of bright drawings and positive thoughts on her time in cancer treatment.

A copy of the book, which has sold 500 copies, will also be included in the auction.

All funds raised at the dinner will go to the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow where a thriving community of cancer scientists and doctors are working to reduce the impact of this disease around the world.

Joanne Casey, director at Mactaggart & Mickel, has been chairwoman of the Business Beats Cancer Board in Glasgow since it started in 2016.

The annual dinner has proved so successful that it has now inspired similar Business Beats Cancer events across the UK in cities including Edinburgh, Belfast and Birmingham.

Joanne said: “I was 22 when my father aged 49 and brother aged 18 lost their battles with cancer within two weeks of one another, so Cancer Research UK is very close to my heart.

"I love Lydia’s painting and think it will be a success at auction.

"It’s been a privilege to meet Lydia and her mum Selen. We’re so fortunate to have their support."