A grieving daughter will channel the loss of her father into her toughest physical challenge yet.

Jodie Waddington, 27, from Sheldwich, will join friends and family to crawl, climb, jump and hang in mud and ice cold water to complete the gruelling 12-mile Tough Mudder in London this May.

Her team has already raised £2,000 for Pilgrims Hospices, where her dad Ian spent his last few days before his death in December aged just 62.

Jodie said: “In 2014 my dad was diagnosed with cancer. After a punishing regime of treatment, dad’s determination and perseverance got him through and he was finally given the all-clear in May 2016.

“When the illness struck again later that year, his love for his family, lust for life and amazing will power gave him the strength to achieve some of his bucket list wishes, including renewing his motorbike skills and sailing in the Carribean.

“Dad was pleased to have his daughters around him, something which was really important to us all.

“Pilgrims Hospices was there when dad needed them. The care they gave allowed dad to make the very most of the time he had and then to remain comfortable and pain-free in his final days.”

On May 6, Jodie will be joined by teammates Giulia Waddington, Paul Whitfield, Katy Jones, Danielle Walker, Daniel Nugent, Tom Alexander and Hayley Smith.

They hope to raise thousands more for the charity, which has centres in Canterbury, Ashford and Thanet and supports people from across the area who are coping with life-limiting illness and their families.

Pilgrims Hospices fundraising manager Theresa Samworth said: “It’s amazing the lengths our supporters will go to in order to raise important funds for Pilgrim care.

“We hope the team have a brilliant adventure and thank them so much for their support.”

Jodie added: “We want to support the nurses to continue their fantastic work for those who need their help the most.

“People have been very generous and know how important the hospice is to our family and to the local community too.”

If you would like to support Jodie and her team in her fundraising you can visit her JustGiving page to make a donation by clicking here.

Anyone interested in taking part in a fundraising event for the hospice can click here to visit the Pilgrims Hospices website.