A CHARITY providing funding for children with rare illnesses and their families is to receive funding from the K2B and C2B committee.

Butterfly Hugs is a Cark-based charity helping to improve the lives of families in Furness and South Lakes area.

It will receive £7,550 thanks to the selfless fundraisers who tackled the tough course in May.

The money will be spent providing financial support for families with children suffering from life-limiting and terminal illnesses, as well as allowing the charity to continue to provide support in the form of group meetings.

Nicola Elson, who set up The Butterfly Hugs group alongside friends Rachel Pocklington and Sian Hunter, said everyone at the charity was grateful to all those who put in the effort to both fundraise and complete the events.

She said: “Butterfly Hugs is so very grateful to all the wonderful individuals who gave up their Saturday to take part in the Keswick to Barrow and Coniston to Barrow walk and to all those that sponsored.

“We are delighted with the amount raised and the funds will help the charity continue to support and provide assistance to those families living with life limiting and terminal illness within the local community.”

The charity started as a one off family day and music festival organised by Rachel and Sian to help Nicola and her two children Connie and Joe.

Both have the rare condition Metachromatic Leukodystroph (MLD), a genetic condition for which there is no cure.

The first ‘Joe and Connie Calling’ event raised £13,000 and paid for a special orthopaedic bed and ongoing physiotherapy for Connie as well as counselling sessions for Joe.

During the planning and research for the event, Rachel and Sian discovered Cumbria's remoteness left families like Nicola's unable to easily access support.

To find out more about the charity or to donate, visit www.butterflyhugs.co.uk.

If you would like to be part of the Butterfly Hugs team in next year's Keswick to Barrow or Coniston to Barrow Walk, email sianhunter88@gmail.com or phone 015395-58607.