A FATHER has raised a staggering £125,000 for Julia’s House after walking 100km in memory of his daughter who died of a rare brain tumour.

Justin Kline, a Tesco store manager from Weymouth, completed the 24-hour charity walk in September, raising money for the children’s hospice based in Corfe Mullen.

Julia’s House cared for Justin’s daughter, Sophie, before she passed away earlier this year aged eight from an aggressive tumour found in an area of the brain stem called the pons, which controls vital functions such as breathing.

The 34-year-old visited 33 Tesco stores in 24 hours, starting at Ringwood Tesco Express at 6am on September 18. He said he was hoping to have raised lots of money for the hospice but admits being stunned by the generosity of everyone who has donated so far.

“The generosity of the local community has been immense,” he said, “but I’ve also got to acknowledge the support of colleagues at Tesco.

“It was impressive enough that 33 stores agreed to mark the route of my walk and assist in fundraising, but I’ve had thousands of colleagues from hundreds of stores take part and I could never have raised this much without them.”

The current sum raised from the charity walk is £125,291.52, but Justin advised there is still a little bit more money to be counted. He is hoping to present a cheque to Julia’s House in November with the final amount.

Julia’s House CEO Martin Edwards said: “Thanks to Justin’s extraordinary efforts, backed by countless kind colleagues at Tesco, Julia’s House will be able to provide nursing care to many more children like Sophie.

“When a child’s illness is incurable, it isn’t the end of what can be done for them. Kind, expert nursing can make all the difference to the final stage of a child’s life, bringing care, compassion and even some smiles into the family home and respite for the child’s parents.”

He added: “We are stunned at how much Justin and his colleagues have raised and deeply grateful to them. Amidst tragic loss and sorrow, it shows the very best of human nature.”