FRIENDS and family of a caring schoolboy are aiming to raise £100,000 in his memory to fund a research project close to their heart.

Tom Walker was a pupil at Monmouth School for Boys and his unexpected death from leukaemia in June at the age of 13 has been felt by all who knew him.

After talking to Tom’s family, Cancer Research Wales is now launching a dedicated fund in the teenager’s name to pay for a research project into the disease.

A three-year PhD studentship requires around £100,000 in funding and Tom’s family and friends are organising events to make the project a reality, with £21,000 already raised in his name.

Tom was a keen swimmer for the school and the town’s Monnow Swimming Club and had just started learning to row on the River Wye.

And 12-year-old sister Holly, a pupil at Monmouth School for Girls, is organising a swimathon called Swim for Tom as part of the fundriaising project, with the aim of volunteers swimming the 430km distance to the source of the Wye and back again.

The event will take place in her school’s pool on Sunday, January 6, and she is appealing for swimmers to join in to help complete the 17,200-length challenge.

Holly has been working on the swimathon with deputy head girl Katie Cameron and the school’s director of sport, Lou Scott.

Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools and Cancer Research Wales are supporting the swimathon and hope people from across the community will get involved to support the cause.

Tom’s dad Tim Walker said: “We will need people to take part, volunteers to count the lengths that are swum and to help with the organisation of the day.

“Everyone – either as an individual or as a team – is welcome to take part in what will be a special and memorable day.”

Tom’s mum Debbie Walker added: “As a family, we are very keen to establish a PhD student post in the near future.

“We think this is an incredibly positive project, which honours Tom’s memory and helps to move forward the ultimate goal of a Wales without Cancer.

“Instead of the money we have raised so far merging into Cancer Research Wales’ general funds, it will be ring fenced and used solely for this research project.

“Tom’s fundraising page stands at just over £21,000 and we will continue our efforts with further fundraising,” she added.

Less than three months before he died, before he knew he had leukaemia, Tom raised several hundred pounds for Cancer Research Wales from a night hike up Pen y Fan, in which he was the youngest walker to undertake the challenge.

A group of rowers from Tom’s school recently rowed Loch Ness to raise money for Cancer Research Wales and for a new boat in Tom’s honour, while Tom’s 10-year-old sister Emily organised an eye-catching Hallow’een hat competition on Friday, November 2, at Monmouth School Girls’ Prep, which raised more than £100.

For more information about the Swim for Tom event email [email protected]

Online donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/swimfortom