A family have trained hard to go the distance to raise money for a charity helping their critically ill daughter.

Father Rickie Hicks, from Borehamwood, took part in the 10k Great Newham Run to raise money on Sunday, 2 July after The Great Children’s Trust supported his family.

His daughter Lily contacted bacterial meningitis when she was six months old and was given a 20 per cent chance of survival.

She was initially wrongly diagnosed with chickenpox at Watford General Hospital, but after hours her parents were concerned and she was rushed to Barnet Hospital where doctors began treating her for meningococcal septicaemia.

Her condition deteriorated and she had to be rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital for life saving treatment.

While Lily was receiving care The Sick Children’s Trust supported Rickie and her mother Carly and brother James by providing accommodation at the Guilford Street House for 10 days so that they did not have to drive 50 minutes to get home.

Rickie said: “No matter how strong you think you are or what you have had to deal with in life, nobody can prepare you for the news that your baby girl might die right there on that table.

“Our world stood still. Each minute felt like an hour but as each minute passed we held on to the thought that our baby was still alive, while trying to ignore the fact that at any second we could be told the worst news ever possibly imaginable.

“However, these feelings would have been intensified if we hadn’t had Guilford Street House and for that we are grateful. We are so grateful that we didn’t have to make a 50 minute journey to be with our daughter when she needed us.”

Now Lily is a healthy two-year-old and to express his gratitude, Rickie, his siblings Tony and Charlotte, cousin Sarah ad colleague Steve Gardner raised £1,479 for the charity.

To sponsor Rickie visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/runforlily or for more information on the charity visit http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/.