A Witham woman and her mother have raised £7,000 for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths after completing a trek through the Jordan desert.

Alison Hayes, of Laburnum Way, embarked on the trek of more than 110km in memory of her son, Sam, who was a victim of cot death on Christmas Day, 1987.

She was joined by her mother, Jean Cross, of Clacton, and a team of 75 hikers for the seven-day sponsored trek.

"It was a fantastic challenge and a lot harder than we thought it was going to be," said Alison.

"I had done road training walking along the street, but nothing could prepare you for the rocks and boulders you had to watch out for every step you made."

"There was a good mix of people walking for the foundation and the Meningitis Trust and every day we would strike up conversation with somebody different and find out they were involved," she added.

"It was a pleasant way to pass the time as you had not got anything else to take your mind off the long walk."

Alison said that the funds raised will go towards research into infant deaths, more support for bereaved families and the national 24-hour Cot Death Helpline which is on 0171 2351721.

"When Sam died there were five cot deaths a day in the UK and there are now nine a week, so the numbers have gone down, but there is still a lot of research to be done," she added.

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