A WOMAN and her mother are doing a sponsored walk under moonlight for Farleigh Hospice - in memory of her late father.

Hayley and Shirley Marsh are raising vital funds for Farleigh after the massive amount of support it provided her father, Richard Marsh, before he passed.

Hayley, from Heybridge, said her fit and healthy dad had fallen ill virtually overnight, at the start of this year.

After he had suffered a stroke, doctors discovered a grade four tumour - and gave family the sad news there was not much they could do.

Despite being estimated to have a year and a half left to live, he was unable to move just a couple months later.

Hayley says Farleigh were a massive help during this time.

Richard had stopped eating and drinking on June 1.

With the help of the charity, he was able to stay home with family around him in the last two weeks of his life.

Farleigh provided support such as night nurses, which Hayley says helped her dad as well as her family while they were going through this tough time.

Hayley said: "They were just like angels."

Richard Marsh passed away on June 15 at the age of 61.

Donations of around £1,000 at his funeral went to Farleigh.

Now, Hayley and Shirley are raising more for the charity so it can provide much needed support for many others.

The pair have started a fundraiser for a 10km walk under moonlight on September 10.

The money they raise for the moonlit walk in the heart of London will go to Farleigh.

Hayley added: "They are amazing and I would like to support them so they can support another family like mine."

Farleigh Hospice is a registered charity which provides hospice care to people affected by life-limiting illnesses across mid Essex.

It supports patients from the point of diagnosis to the end of their life, providing physical and emotional care free of charge.

With about 40 per cent of yearly running costs funded by the NHS, Farleigh relies on the support of the mid Essex community to contribute to the £16,039 it costs to provide services each day.

To donate to Hayley's fundraiser visit bit.ly/2VCDKmR.