A TESCO store manager from Weymouth who walked a mammoth 100km in memory of his young daughter has raised an impressive £140,000 for Julia’s House.

Just Kilne, who manages the store on St Thomas Street, took on the gruelling 24-hour fundraising challenge earlier this year after his eight-year-old daughter Sophie died of a brain tumour.

As part of the challenge, Justin visited 33 Tesco stores across the county, and decided to donate the money he raised to Julia’s House because of the care and support the charity provided his family when Sophie was battling the tumour.

He said: “Sophie never had to spend a single night in hospital thanks to Julia’s House.

“It meant so much to us to be able to keep Sophie at home.

“Having Sophie in my mind kept me going during the walk.

“I was overwhelmed by the response of everyone – not just the local Tesco stores that were on the route but the support from other stores all over the UK.”

During the challenge, seven of his colleagues walked for the whole two days with 40 more joining him for part of the route.

Justine and his wife Janice presented the cheque to senior team nurse Claire Hudson-Cooper at an open day at the Corfe Mullen hospice where they were joined by other Tesco staff who had supported him and fundraised.

Claire had cared for Sophie during her final days and said she was delighted to receive the cheque on behalf of the charity.

Claire said: “What happened to Sophie’s family could happen to anyone.

“Our job is to make the difficult, bearable for those families. To give them all the support they need in the way they need it.

“To give them back some control and some choice over the care their child needs.

“The wonderful thing about the money Justin has raised is that it is going to help fund more nurses to enable more children like Sophie stay out of hospital and at home with their families.”

Janice paid tribute to the hospice for all the care they had given her daughter Sophie and for the support the family had received during their darkest days.

She said: “We could not have coped without the support of Claire on the last day. She got us through.

“A child in that situation needs to feel safe and loved and not feel afraid. Julia’s House helped Sophie to feel just that.”

Martin Edwards, chief executive of Julia’s House, said: “We want to say a big thank you to Justin and everyone involved in this amazing achievement.

“It shows that out of the worst of times people can come together and do something truly special.”