A PRIMARY school teacher who lost her dad to lung cancer last year is launching an annual golf day to fundraise in his memory.

Lauren Lyddiatt has organised a variety of fundraisers for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation following the death of her father Chris Lyddiatt last year.

Chris, who lived in Poole, died after a four week battle with lung cancer.

Since then Lauren has raised nearly £3,500 for the Roy Castle Foundation and become an ambassador for the charity.

On Friday, August 5, Chris’s birthday, Lauren will launch her first annual golfing event, the Chris Lyddiatt Memorial Golf Day, at Wareham Golf Club.

Lauren said: "We got 80 people coming for the first year and we want to grow it in the years to come and make it really big.

“We’re just trying to raise as much money for Roy Castle but alongside that it’s also really the awareness as well, just to get people talking about and knowing the symptoms to go to their doctors, and to know your body and know if somethings wrong, to keep pushing.

“So that’s the main aim and the money that we raise will help with all of the great programmes and initiatives that Roy Castle are setting up, such as their screening pilots.

“They’re starting screening pilots for lung cancer because if you pick cancer up in an early stage the outcome is going to be significantly better, 75 per cent of lung cancer stages are at three or four, which is shocking. So screening is a really big thing that we need to push.

“Unfortunately lung cancer doesn't discriminate and it can happen to anyone, you don't have to be picking up a cigarette daily to have a chance of getting it.

“I wasn’t doing any of this before my dad passed away but you’ve got find the positives in everything and for me doing fundraising and charity work in dad's name and setting up the Chris Lyddiatt Memorial Golf Day is remembering my dad who was a really active sporty loveable man and also hopefully meaning that another daughter, another family doesn't have to lose their dad or partner in 35 days.”

Lauren has plans to hold other fundraising events this year: her partner Harvey Nichols is running the London Marathon for Roy Castle in October,  she would like to host a raffle in November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month and take part in a charity skydive.

To donate to Lauren's fundraiser visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harvey-nichols1