'Fundraising helps me deal with grandchild's death'

A grandfather who has donated tens of thousands of pounds to a cancer charity said fundraising helped him deal with the death of his eight-year-old granddaughter.

John Huggins, from Southwold, Suffolk, has raised £60,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity over the last eight years by organising a series of events.

The 73-year-old former lifeboat crew member started fundraising for the organisation two years after his granddaughter Sophie Harper died from a brain tumour in 2013.

"If we can spare one family the heartache we went through during Sophie's long illness, then this whole thing will be worth it," said Mr Huggins.

Sophie was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in 2006 after months of pain, being unsteady on her feet and frequently vomiting.

Over the next seven years until her death, she endured gruelling treatments and lengthy stays in hospital and rehabilitation centres.

"I spent an awful lot of time with her in the years she was with us... so it hit me so hard," said Mr Huggins.

"I try not to look back on that too much as it's still quite upsetting to think about it too deeply – it's as raw today as it was 10 years ago.

"But [raising money] is something that keeps me going and it is the way that I deal with it. It's something I will never get over but I look at this as her legacy."

According to Brain Tumour Research, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Despite this, less than 3% of research money is spent on brain tumour research – a statistic which only drives Mr Huggins to raise even more.

"I do feel proud about achieving this amount but it just spurs me on to do something else," said Mr Huggins, who has been "drip-feeding" donations to the charity since 2015.

"I am always grateful to the people who have helped me with the various events and those that have donated and given money. So a big thank you to all of them."

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