Ashley Cain and Safiyya Vorajee awarded honorary degrees

Safiyya Vorajee and Ashley Cain were presented with their awards at Coventry Cathedral

Former footballer Ashley Cain and author Safiyya Vorajee have received honorary degrees for the charity work they do in the name of their daughter.

Azaylia was eight months old when she died from a rare form of leukaemia.

Her parents - from Nuneaton - set up the Azaylia Foundation to help improve access to treatments and raise awareness of childhood cancer.

They were awarded honorary doctorates by Coventry University.

Ashley called his daughter Azaylia his ‘lickle lion’

Receiving the award was a way to honour Azaylia's life and the work that continued to help other children with cancer, said Mr Cain.

Ms Vorajee added of the award: "My heart just filled with so much pride for my daughter, and for us as parents."

Azaylia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in October 2020 and died six months later.

Since then, Mr Cain - who played for Coventry City and has appeared on TV shows such as MTV's Ex on the Beach and BBC's Go Hard or Go Home - has taken part in many extreme challenges in his daughter's name.

"I do these challenges because I made a promise to my daughter that I was going to take her around the world," he said.

He added he was preparing for a three-month challenge in April 2024 that had never been done before: "Running from John O'Groats to Lands End, then cycling back up, then kayaking back down."

Ms Vorajee said making a difference for other children with cancer was their purpose, and the Azaylia Foundation's work would not stop.

"This is something that will be done beyond our lifetime," she explained.