A BOY whose mum passed away from secondary breast cancer before she had a chance to complete a planned MoonWalk challenge is taking on the event himself.

Aaron Gilchrist, 11, will be at the start-line of the 10km New Moon challenge in memory of his mum Leigh Gilchrist, who worked as an accountant for John Gilmour Butchers, Macmerry.

Leigh died at the age of 40 last July, just five months after she was diagnosed with the incurable form of the disease.

When she passed away, Aaron, his father Euan, 41, and his younger brother Maxwell, eight, were devastated.

But the family, who live on Doctor Gracie Drive, Prestonpans, vowed that they would do something to help raise money to fight breast cancer because Leigh did not have the chance to.

They are now putting together a team called ‘Leigh’s Angels’ to take part in the MoonWalk events.

Preston Lodge High School pupil Aaron will walk his 10k in memory of his mum; Euan will be taking part in the Over the Moon Ultra 52.4-mile walk; and a team of Leigh’s friends and family and work colleagues will test themselves in the Half Moon (13.1-mile) and Full Moon (26.2-mile) events on June 6 in Edinburgh, organised by Walk the Walk, the largest grant-making breast cancer charity in the UK.

Euan, an operation analyst at Aberdeen Standard Investments, told the Courier: “Aaron is doing [the 10k] with some of his school friends and his cousin Lois Cunningham. She is 10 and goes to Campie Primary School.

“Aaron saw that his mum wanted to take part in it last year and he wanted to do it in her memory.

“It was something that Leigh had wanted to do herself but, unfortunately, she never got the chance to do it.

“The money raised goes to breast cancer care in Scotland.

“Leigh got a treatment [scalp cooling] which meant that during chemotherapy she never lost her hair.”

Scalp cooling is not available at all treatment centres. Walk the Walk has committed to ensuring that every cancer patient in the UK can have access to this treatment, giving out grants in excess of £10million to more than 200 NHS trusts in the last 12 years.

The Western General Hospital in Edinburgh received a £5m contribution from the charity.

Euan added: “Leigh benefitted from the money raised from the walk. We really want to raise as much money as possible for breast cancer care. It’s something very important to all of us.”

Each member of Leigh’s Angels has to raise at least £100, with Euan and a friend of his needing to raise £400 each to compete in the Ultra event.

They estimate that when all of their friends and family have finished signing up, the team will need to fundraise a minimum of £2,000.

Donations can be made here to the group’s fundraising page.