ZADIE Bennett from New Milton is off to walk the Great Wall of China on Saturday. She is hoping that the nine-day trek will raise £2,000 for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) in memory of the two brothers she never got to meet.

“My two older brothers both died of the rare liver disease, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency before I was born,” explains 24 year old Zadie who works at Nationwide Building Society in Lymington.

“Peter was born on September 8, 1982 and passed away after three weeks; Wayne was born on May 20, 1984 and lived for only six hours.

“Family means everything to me and to have two brothers who I never got the chance to meet will never be okay, so that's why I'm doing this, for them. So many people do not realise that liver disease can affect babies and children and are unaware of the amazing work which CLDF does. I myself am a carrier of the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency gene so this charity is really important to me.

“CLDF doesn't have enough recognition - a lot of people have never heard of it and I want to help change that. The more recognition, the more money, the better quality of life those kids have and a better chance of survival. I have done fundraising for CLDF in the past but the Great Wall of China is something I have always wanted to do so I am hoping this will help raise awareness as well as funds.”

Alison Taylor, CLDF Chief Executive, added: “We are the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all forms of childhood liver disease which we do by providing information to healthcare professionals, emotional support for families, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. We rely entirely on voluntary donations so we are delighted that Zadie has chosen to do this for us. It’s a wonderful tribute to her brothers and I hope it will be an amazing experience for her.”

You can support Zadie’s Great Wall of China trek by going to www.justgiving.com/Zadieschinatrek