A MOTHER and daughter are embarking on an East African trek to raise funds for a charity close to their hearts.
Sarah Houlding, and her 16-year-old daughter Rebecca, will take part in a nine-day expedition across the Rift Valley, Tanzania, in July to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House, a charity that provided her with support while her late son Jack was in hospital.
Sarah, 45, from Tollesbury, said: "Our first baby, Jack, was born on 19th October 1994 but sadly we only had our lovely son for a short while.
"He died on November 22nd after spending five weeks – his entire life – at Guy's Hospital in London, after being born with a heart defect.
"During this time we stayed just round the corner from the hospital in a large building called Ronald McDonald House, completely free of charge.
"This meant we could spend every day with Jack, time that turned out to be precious as we had so little of it to spend with him.
"The house gave us a place to laugh, cry and grieve; our own room with a direct phone line to the ward Jack was on, and space to come to terms with it all."
After Jack's death the family raised the money needed to purchase a cardiac monitor for the children's intensive care ward, but they always wanted to do more for the charity that had been their 'godsend'.
Sarah, a freelance administrative assistant, added: "Jack would have been 18 a few months ago and when the New Year came along I wanted to take on a challenge in his memory.
"Rebecca has decided to come with me and so we'll be going after she's sat her A-levels.
"We also both decided to extend the trip slightly to allow us to volunteer in a local children's home."
Both women will need to raise a minimum of £3,600 to fund the trip and have already organised fundraising events to meet their targets, including a dinner party which raised over £100.
"People have already been so kind with donations, we're hoping to organise a barn dance in March and we have friends planning a 100-mile cycle ride," Sarah added.
To donate toward Sarah and Rebecca's trip visit: www.justgiving. com/Sarah-Houlding1
