A mum whose teenage son touched the hearts of thousands of people as he fought cancer is marking the first anniversary of his death with a sponsored walk in aid of the hospital where he was treated.

Davina Cox, from Chatham, will be walking to the Royal Marsden on Sunday, one year on from the death of her son Jake Elphick-Cox, who was 14.

His Jake’s Journey Facebook page attracted over 2,400 followers as people kept in touch with the brave young Arsenal fan.

The Marsden March is a 14- mile – or five-mile – sponsored walk between the Royal Marsden’s hospitals in Chelsea and Sutton. Over the last six years it has raised more than £8.2 million to help build a future beyond cancer.

Davina said: “It’s going to be an incredibly emotional day. I miss Jake so much, every day. I’m about to have my first birthday without him, my first Mother’s Day without him.

“But I can’t think of a better way to spend his anniversary than helping support the Royal Marsden who looked after him so well. When we cross the finish line in Sutton it will be the first time I’ve been back to the hospital since he died.”

She will be joined by family and friends including Francesca Waite whose son Blue Tobin was undergoing treatment for leukaemia at the same time as Jake. She said: “Blue and Jake were the best of friends. Jake helped Blue to eat when he was very unwell and we would take comics in for Blue.”

Jake, a pupil at Thomas Aveling School in Rochester, died in his mother’s arms at the family home in Greenway. Blue and Jake’s younger brother, Joe, who are both seven, will also be walking the full 14 miles in T-shirts bearing photos of Jake.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity funds pioneering work in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and care to improve the lives of patients with cancer.

To sponsor Davina visit www.justgiving.com/davina-cox

For more about The Marsden March, visit www.royalmarsden.org/march