GRIEF experienced by a schoolgirl following a tragic family death has been turned into determination to raise cash for two charities as training begins to climb Mount Snowdon.

Mollie Paige, nine, was inspired to take on the walk after her mother’s partner Sam Walden died in a motorbike crash while in Belgium in 2014. Air ambulance services attended the crash scene following the collision between Mr Walden and a car on a bend.

While coping with their grief, the family received counselling and help from Winston’s Wish, a bereavement charity for young people.

Mollie, of Abberd Way, Calne, is raising cash for Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Winston’s Wish ahead of the hike in September.

As part of her training, school friends have joined in on regular walks as they explore the Wiltshire countryside.

Mum Hannah Schweitzer said: “I’m no historian but there are so many parts of the area that people have never explored. The walking has really taken off and what Mollie has achieved so far is fantastic.

“I can’t believe the journey we have been on together, she has been my rock and is an incredible little girl. She is so selfless and is so caring. To her it’s all about raising money.

“We have used Winston’s Wish for at home counselling. They have helped us create memory books and helped us to be able to talks as a family about grief itself. Mollie didn’t talk about it and her grief didn’t come out for quite a long time and then she didn’t want to talk to me because she was scared she would upset me. The charity really enabled us to work through what had happened.

“She was fascinated from quite a young age about the work the air ambulance do and as she grew up and found out more she decided she wanted to give something back to them.”

Mollie will walk up Snowden in September and take on the 26-mile Sarsen Trail next May.

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/molliespaige