A little girl who died at the age of five from a heart defect was the inspiration for a football fundraiser which raised £20,000 for paediatric cardiac care.

Shani Berman was born with a large hole in her heart and no valve linking her heart to her lungs.

Surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital implanted a small Gore-Tex tube in her heart where the valve should have been, in what was originally intended to be one of several open-heart surgeries done to normalise her heart and circulation.

At 20 months, Shani suffered from heart failure, and her family, who are members of Elstree and Borehamwood Synagogue, were told she would not make a recovery.

Miraculously, she survived, attending school, making friends and becoming known as the girl with the “magic heart”.

Shani Berman, who became known as the girl with the "magic heart"

In 2017, her oxygen levels depleted further, leading to a complex operation, which, tragically, she did not survive.

On Sunday, hundreds of people aged eight to 80 gathered to take part in 12 hours of football at Watford Powerleague, held by Shine for Shani, the charity set up in the little girl’s memory to help transform the lives of other children with complex congenital cardiac defects.

The money raised will go towards funding the purchase of a cardiothoracic educational mannequin at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Shani was treated, and a carbon dioxide angiography machine at the Schneider Children's Medical Centre in Israel for children with thrombosis of the portal vein that need recanalization.

Teams at the Shine for Shani football tournament

Shani’s father, Simon Berman, who is also a Shine for Shani trustee, said: “It was great seeing hundreds of people playing football together, dads and kids, women and girls and particularly inspiring was the walking football match for adults with Parkinson’s.

He said that “the most inspirational moment” was when a rainbow appeared in the sky above the pitches. “[It was] so poignant as the day Shani died a rainbow appeared across the sky above Great Ormond Street Hospital, as well as above her friend’s house on Rehov Shani in Modi'in, [in Israel].”

A rainbow in the shape of a heart is also used in the charity’s logo.

Shani Berman with her brother Joel and her father Simon

Family-friend Elliot Shorrick, who has known Shani’s parents for over 20 years, attended the football tournament. He said: “It’s a privilege to be part of a team that raises money for such an amazing cause. We all want to be part of it, even our children, all in Shani’s name so her legacy shines brightly.”

Shani Berman (left) and her sister Tammy

Over the years, the charity has raised over £400,000 for cardiac research and equipment at Great Ormond Street Hospital and other centres of cardiac excellence in an effort to “make Shani’s memory into a blessing” and save the lives of children with complicated heart conditions.

For more information about Shine for Shani, click here