THE parents of a nine-year- old girl who died suddenly have described her as a wonderful child who loved being outside.

Naomi King died in the arms of parents Ruth and David, with all her family around her, at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Friday (March 31).

A pupil at Rosehill School in Worcester for more than six years, Naomi was deafblind and had profound learning difficulties.

After she was born, her mum and dad were told she would only develop the abilities of a six-month-old baby, but she had made remarkable progress in the past few years.

Mrs King said: "It seems so cruel that we're not going to see what she could do next because she'd have achieved so much more."

"There are all these titles like special needs but all kids are special, she just had different needs.

"Everyone who knew her knew her as Naomi and what she was - something wonderful."

Naomi, from Malvern Link, leaves two brothers Samuel, five, and Callum, 13.

Mrs King described her as a daddy's little girl who really bonded with her father and spent a lot of time sitting with him and listening to him speak.

She loved being in the garden, playing in water and being towed along in a trailer behind her father's bike.

After initially falling ill on Monday, Naomi developed an infection and was rushed to hospital on Friday morning with breathing difficulties. She died at 8.50pm

A post mortem is being carried out and her parents have been told there will be an inquest into her death.

Mr and Mrs King would like to thank everybody who cared for Naomi, who received respite care at Acorns Children's Hospice and Osbourne Court in Malvern.

They praised Malvern paramedics' quick action, the nurses at Worcestershire Royal and her doctor Marie Hanlon.

Naomi's funeral will be at The Church of the Ascension, Malvern Link, at noon on Tuesday, April 18, followed by burial at Malvern Cemetery.

Mourners are invited to bring flowers from their gardens and make donations to organisations that helped Naomi - MACS, for children with eye conditions, deafblind charity SENSE or Rosehill School.