A LOVING father held the memory of his daughter closed to his heart when he took part in a sponsored walk.

Duncan Holland, 46, of Benfleet, lost his 12-year-old daughter Gemma to leukaemia in 1997 and since then has raised more than £44,000 for the Leukaemia Research Fund.

He joined more than 40 people in a sponsored walk from Shoebury to Southend on Sunday to raise money for Southend Hospital's Elizabeth Loury ward, which specialises in treating patients with cancer.

The walk was also held in memory of 16-year-old Matthew Mullins, a former St Thomas More school pupil, in Westcliff, who died of Leukaemia in 2002 Mr Holland wanted to thank the Benfleet Rotary Club and Southend Hospital's events co-ordinator Barbara Warner for their efforts in organising the event