THE legacy of much-loved former Mail journalist lives on as a charitable trust set up in memory nears £100,000.

After a series of fundraisers in 2018, Jo’s Appeal has now raised between £90,000-£95,000 since it was set up in memory of Jo-anne Davies, who died in August 2015, aged 38.

In 2018, the charity, headed by her husband Matt Davies, raised a further £10,000 for the Furness General Hospital oncology unit and St Mary’s Hospice who provided care for Jo after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2010.

Jo was a popular feature writer at The Mail, writing about health and fitness.

After being diagnosed, the former Chetwynde School pupil wanted to give something back for the fantastic medical care and support she received.

This legacy has continued as supporters of Jo’s Appeal took part this year in Barrow’s Parkrun and swam across Windermere, as well as completing the K2B and C2B alongside other challenges.

Jo’s husband Matt said: “We really want to keep supporting the oncology unit here at FGH, St Mary’s Hospice who looked after her and The Eve Appeal which is a national women’s cancer charity based in London who do really crucial work in their research into early detection, which is vital for a lot of gynaecological cancers, especially ovarian.

“It's also a great thing for us to keep Jo’s legacy going in a positive way.”

Jayne Bickerstaff, the oncology unit manager at FGH, said: “The donation is fantastic.

"Technology and everything is changing all the time so it allows us to keep up to date with new technology.

"We have also got new equipment which was also bought from charitable funds, which without we wouldn’t have been able to get.”

Clare Tonkin, area fundraiser for St Mary’s Hospice said: “It’s extraordinary how people can somehow channel their grief into doing something positive and the £17,000 that the Jo’s Appeal has raised for us in total will go a long way in supporting our work.”