FORMER Littleport man Graham Loveday trekked a whopping 300km across the UK to raise funds for his three-year-old granddaughter Abby Pike, who has Rett Syndrome.

The bright-eyed toddler, from Glandore, in Australia, developed the rare neurological disorder from birth, which means she will probably never be able to walk or talk.

Grandfather Graham, who moved from Littleport out to South Australia more than a decade ago, set out on his 17-day trek from coast to coast a fortnight ago week and hopes to raise much-needed funds to support the search for a cure.

He said: “I’ve got a bit of a swollen foot but other than that there were no real problems, it was a fantastic walk and I met lots of people on the way who had stories to tell and advice to share.

“I have managed to raise about �2,900 so far and I’m hoping to build on that good start in the weeks to come.”

Rett Syndrome is a disorder that affects about one in 15,000 girls. After a period of normal growth and development girls stop developing and then regress. Most do not speak, can not walk, lose purposeful use of their hands and many suffer scoliosis, seizures, cardiac problems, breathing issues, anxiety and disrupted sleep patterns.

For Abby, it also means she also has to battle scoliosis – curvature of the spine – and suffers epilepsy.

For information, or not donate, go to justgiving.com/abbypike.