AFTER his daughter lost her battle with a rare condition which affects around one in 19,000 people, an Andover dad has made it his mission to raise funds for causes dear to his family.

Geoff Barnes daughter Georgie was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome at four-months-old - a rare and severely disabling type of epilepsy - and had to endure prolonged seizures and take an array of medication.

This meant regular trips to the hospital which put a lot of stress on the family for the first couple of years of Georgie’s life.

But the family say Georgie was a brave, happy and cheerful child despite her condition and always had a smile and a cuddle for everyone.

And after a period of six months without a seizure Georgie began to develop and flourish as a normal child would, but she died aged three on November 24, 2017, of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

Mum Gemma said: “We put a happy child to bed that night and the next morning she was gone.”

Now Geoff, 36, and friend Tim Ellams have set out on a mission to raise money for Adventure Pre-School, which looked after Georgie and created a special room to meet her needs.

The pair, along with friends and family, are also fundraising for Naomi House and the charity Dravet Syndrome UK, and hope to raise £15,000 to be split three ways.

Data analyst Geoff said: “What we want to do is to be able to give something back as a thank you so they can give something to someone else. But we don’t want to stop, I want to keep doing that in Georgie’s memory.”

So far this year they have run 194 miles, with another 160 planned but are expected to take on more challenges.

Their next challenge will be the Whitchurch 10K on Sunday, June 24, but Geoff said his most gruelling challenge was climbing the Three Peaks, battling through snow and ice.

They will also take on the Great North and Great South Runs, along with a raffle where Gemma will offer a treatment from her GB Lashes business.

But Geoff said his efforts are helping the family, including five-year-old daughter Gracie.

“It becomes emotional doing these challenges but it does help,” Geoff said.

Gemma added: “It helps with healing, it is a distraction from the grief, and I’m very proud of him as he is putting a lot of effort in.”

To sponsor, go to forgeorgie.org.uk or uk.gofundme.com/fundraising-in-memory-of-georgie.