Kate Winslet donates to 11-year-old girl's visual bucket list

Lily-Rae's mother Emma said it was "so special" to have a personal message from the star

Actress Kate Winslet has donated thousands for an 11-year-old's visual bucket list of places she would like to see before losing her sight.

Lily-Rae, from Nottingham, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Stargardt disease in December.

Her mother, Emma, set up a fundraising page to make her daughter's "dreams come true" and a £5,000 donation with a personal message was left by Winslet.

Lily-Rae said: "We were shocked. We were both in tears."

Kate Winslet wished the girl "magical treasures" in a message on a fundraising page

On GoFundMe, the Titanic star wrote: "Wishing Lily-Rae some magical adventures so she can make many special memories to treasure! With lots of Love, Kate Winslet and family."

Winslet's donation is double the fundraising page's target of £2,500.

The youngster says she dreams of seeing the Northern Lights, Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and would like to go on safari in Africa.

Stargardt disease is an inherited eye condition, which affects one in 10,000 people according to the Macular Society, and causes blurriness in the central part of the eye.

Doctors have told the schoolgirl, who is learning Braille, that her sight is constantly deteriorating, but it is hoped she will keep some of her peripheral vision.

Lily-Rae said seeing the Northern Lights was at the "top of the list"

Emma, 45, added the personal message from Winslet was "so special".

She said: "We're very overwhelmed. The donations we've had have been absolutely appreciated.

"To have somebody such as Kate Winslet... I cannot explain how much I respect that woman as an actress, let alone now as an individual as a human being, to be so generous.

"She sent a lovely message as well. To have made so personal was just so special."

Lily-Rae started losing her eyesight when she was about five years old, but was initially told she just needed glasses by opticians.

What people typically see from 197ft (60m), Lily-Rae cannot see until she is 10ft (3m) away or less, her mum said

Emma said she noticed her daughter was having more sight problems when she picked her up from school, with Lily-Rae only realising her mum was there when she was directly in front of her.

Lily-Rae says her condition does not affect colour, but she does struggle with depth perception.

She can only see from three metres or less, adding she uses a font size 64 to read her laptop.

She said: "This [fundraiser] is important for us because then I can see the world before my vision goes and my mum can also experience with me and I can just have mental memories and also muscle memories of all the different experiences."