A GROUP of friends are set to put their best feet forward in a charity walk along the towpath of the Droitwich canal in memory of a brave teenager.

The friends, who all ive in the town and make up Team Griffindor, are being led by Sharon Griffin. They hope to raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust – a charity which finds matching donors for bone marrow transplants.

The group of 10 will walk for 22 miles along the canalside paths on Saturday in memory of Ms Griffin’s 17-year-old cousin Sam Griffin, who died of leukaemia last year.

She said: “The reason we are doing this fund-raising is because I lost my cousin to leukaemia.

“He fought a very brave battle for two years and if his treatment had been successful he would have then needed a bone marrow transplant.

“Sam was a gentle young man and a very talented artist. He had won a place in a national school of art just a few months before he died. He had a great sense of humour and wonderful generosity. It was this character and bravery that made us join together as Team Griffindor in tribute to this brave young man and to make people aware of the Anthony Nolan Trust and its great work.”

The 10 family members and friends will walk along the canal from Droitwich Rugby Club, to the river Severn at Diglis, Worcester. They will then follow a route along the Birmingham and Worcester Canal back to Droitwich Spa.

Stuart Lees, regional fund-raising manager for the Anthony Nolan Trust, said: “I would like to wish Team Griffindor all the best with the sponsored walk and say thank you from us all for helping to raise the funds we need to continue our lifesaving work.

“Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity which saves the lives of people with blood cancers such as leukaemia.

“Every day we use our register to match donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need lifesaving transplants.”

Anyone who wants to support the group for the walk should visit the fund-raising page at virginmoneygiving.com/team/ griffindor3.