A devoted dad who began fundraising in memory of his baby girl has now turned it into an important charity – and scooped a top national award for his efforts.

Greg Johnston has been named inspirational father of the year by the national charity Baby Loss Star.

Greg, 33, from Great Broughton, was given the Butterfly Award by the charity which provides help for parents who have lost their children and training for the professionals who deal with them. Greg and wife Jill, 41, lost their first baby Evie when she was just six months old.

She fought valiantly despite a multitude of life-threatening illnesses.

Apart from the time they

needed to sleep, her parents were with her all the time and were determined to make her life count.

When Evie lost her battle in September 2015 they set up Team Evie to support other families in similar sitations.

What started as a fundraiser has turned into an established charity and Greg has just given up work as a teacher at Our Lady & St Joseph’s School in Maryport to concentrate on Team Evie.

“It has grown so big that we were at breaking point,” he said.

“We would both be working all day and then coming home and working all night trying to organise what needed to be organised, answer emails and so on.

“Our second daughter, Imani, is now 14 months old and needed our attention. It was getting to the stage where it was not fair on any of us.”

But the couple are determined that Team Evie must continue.

“In the six months she was with us she was my little mate. I never wanted to leave her side,” Greg said.

He said both he and Jill feel they owe Evie time devoted to the charity.

“It helps us too knowing that so many people are being helped in her name,” he added.

Team Evie has raised more than £100,000 thanks to the couple’s work and events and donations from friends, family and strangers who have been touched by their story.

“Evie was only six months when she died so we don’t know what she would be saying, but it helps us to hope that she is proud that we are keeping her name alive,” said Greg.

“The people she has helped is her legacy.”

Team Evie has provided packs for families of sick children, books, equipment for inpatients and equipment that will enable children to go home.

The Butterfly Awards were held in Worcester.

“ People were there because they had lost children so it was incredibly emotional but also a celebration of those lives.”

To learn more about Team Evie, go to www.teamevie.org