The family of a young woman who died suddenly after having sepsis are planning a charity pub crawl to mark what would have been her birthday.

Millie Wyles, of Sheerness, died in August aged just 21. She was studying economics at the University of Essex and working part-time at The Harps in Minster.

Next week, to celebrate what would have been her 22nd birthday, more than 50 of her friends and family will be going on a pub crawl on Sheppey – collecting donations along the way.

The hope is to raise money and awareness for The UK Sepsis Trust, which funds research into sepsis – the body's toxic reaction to an infection.

The group will start at the You Women clothes shop in Sheerness Broadway at 2pm on Saturday, December 7, before moving onto Wetherspoons and The Goat in the High Street.

From there, they will get a coach, donated by Travel Masters, to Queenborough and Halfway, finishing at The Harps in Minster Road at about 8pm, where Millie, who was a sixth-former at Fulston Manor in Sittingbourne, used to work. The Chaucers will be playing live.

Millie's sister Emmy Piesley said: "We want to raise as much as we can because every penny we can raise is going towards research and trying to find a cure or teaching doctors how to diagnose it quicker.

"It's all to spread information of what to look out for, what the symptoms are and what you should do.

"We've spoken to the coroner and they're unable to find the infection that caused the sepsis but they know Millie died from sepsis.

"These kind of things are what keeps us going and without the support of friends and family and the community as a whole, I think it would've been so much harder.

"It's going to help us get through her first birthday of her not being here."

Thousands of tickets have also been sold for a raffle with prizes donated by businesses.

There was an outpouring of support following the announcement of Millie's death.

At the time, Millie's mother Annie Wyles said: "The generosity is overwhelming and has brought us an awful lot of comfort."

Anyone interested in joining the pub crawl in aid of The UK Sepsis Trust on Saturday, December 7, is welcome.

Click here to donate.

Read more: Click here for all the latest news from Sheppey.

Read more: Click here for all the latest news from Sittingbourne.