Peak District trek for tragic Faith Olivia

Faith Olivia was born in Burnley with a rare condition called Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a developmental disorder which affects many parts of the body.

Heartbreakingly, after a life of constantly being in and out of hospital, Faith passed away at just 19 months old.

Now, local football team AC Milano are hoping to raise £2,000 in Faith’s memory, so that the family can put up a memorial plaque at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool where she spent most of her life.

Manager of AC Milano, Callum Krzysik, said: “We’re raising money for two well established children’s charities, Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“If we raise £1,000 for RMHC they have agreed to put up a plaque at Alder Hey.

“This would mean a massive amount to the family and it will give them that little bit of happiness out of an extremely dark situation.”

Callum and the rest of the boys from the football club will raise the money by taking on the Peak District’s Limestone Way, a 46-mile trek that stretches over two counties.

They will set off from Burnley on Friday December 4th, before camping out that night and starting the walk in the early hours of Saturday, and plan to be finished by Sunday night.

“Being part of this football team for me isn’t just about turning up every Sunday and playing, there’s a lot more to it,” added Callum.

“We are part of an amazing close knit community in Burnley and we have the chance, as a group of 16 young lads, to make a difference, especially for charity work and to raise money for families and children in our local area.

“It’s going to be cold, wet and windy in the middle of December so it’s going to be a tough task, but we all know what we’re letting ourselves for.”

Faith’s mum Kirsty Monks and dad Sean Taylor, who both have one other child each, said its an emotional time but admit its good to see something positive come out of it.

Kirsty (26) said: “It’s really amazing what the team at AC Milano are going to do for us.

“We’ve been struggling to raise the money for the plaque in faiths memory and this will help us massively.

“It’s an emotional time because she’s everywhere at the minute, but it’s good to see something positive come out of the situation and we cant thank the lads enough or what they’re doing.”

There are several ways you can donate, visit the clubs Facebook page at facebook.com/acmilanoburnley to find out how.