A mum has taken part in a ‘glow walk’ to help raise more than £35,000 for a hospice which cares for her nine-year-old son.

The Comet: Dawn Farmer (right) with friend Karen Russell at the Glow Walk in Luton.Dawn Farmer (right) with friend Karen Russell at the Glow Walk in Luton. (Image: Archant)

Dawn Farmer, from Stevenage, was one of 554 people who took part in the 10km Glow Walk on Saturday to raise money for Keech Hospice Care.

The Luton-based hospice provides speciaist care for adults and children facing terminal and life-limiting illnesses across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, and has cared for Dawn’s son Charlie for nearly seven years.

Although Charlie experiences the full array of emotions, he is unable to express any emotion or move any of his limbs, and is cared for by the day support service at Keech.

There is no cure for Charlie, who is tube-fed directly into his stomach and has several seizures every day, but Keech helps give him the best quality of life.

The Glow Walk, which took place in Luton and involved participants wearing fluorescent body paint and having UV torches and glow sticks, has raised a total of £35,500, with Dawn raising £190. She said: “It was brilliant fun to see so many people walking in local streets glowing in the dark.

“No one should have to face life-limiting conditions on their own. By taking part in the Glow Walk and raising money I can help the hospice care for more people.”

Mark Relf, the charity’s events fundraising manager, said: “The Glow Walk was a brilliant success.

“People are always surprised when we tell them it costs over £5.6 million a year to run Keech Hospice Care. Only 30 per cent of our funding comes from the NHS and so we rely on our fantastic community for our survival.

“Thanks to everyone who came out glowing – they were all brilliant. Without our supporters we would not be able to continue caring for very sick people at a time in their lives when they need it most.”