HOLLY Pearson was just nine months old when her mother was snatched away by breast cancer.

Now the 19-year-old is preparing to walk 20 miles to prevent more little girls losing their mums.

Holly, who works as a part-time sales assistant and lives in Blenheim Drive, Oxford, said: “My mum, Ruth Pearson, was just 34 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

“I was five months old. And four months later she died.

“I don’t remember my mum, but my dad and my grandma say she was young and fun and fashionable and was heartbroken at having to leave me and my two older brothers.”

Holly grew up with her father, stepmother and brothers in Surrey, but moved to Oxford last year to be with her maternal grandmother, Barbara Kennedy.

She said: “I’ve always wanted to do some kind of fundraising to honour my mum, so when I saw a story about the Pink Ribbonwalk in the Oxford Mail, it seemed perfect and I signed up straight away.”

The eighth annual Breast Cancer Care Pink Ribbonwalk takes place at Blenheim Palace near Woodstock on Saturday, May 19, and will see walkers tackle either a 10 or 20 mile route through the palace grounds, raising sponsorship for Breast Cancer Care’s support of cancer patients.

Holly said: “I’m going to do the 20-mile walk with some friends and I’m really looking forward to it.

“Unfortunately, many people and their families are living in the shadow of cancer, but events like this raise a lot of money to support them.

“I’m very frightened of cancer because not only did it take my mum, but I have a longer history of cancer in my family and I’m scared I’ll go through it myself one day.

“I want to raise as much money as I can and do my best to make sure other children don’t lose their mums to cancer, like I did.

“I like to think my mum would have been really proud of me for doing the walk.”

Registration for Ribbonwalk costs £30 with a fundraising target of £175. Individuals and teams are welcome and everyone crossing the finish line is rewarded with a medal, a massage and a celebratory barbeque.

To register or for more details go to breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0870 145 0101