A FUNDRAISING drive to raise £10,000 in memory of a little girl is set to hit its target.

The family of Esmee Godwin launched the appeal after her death at the age of two from complications after a bout of chicken pox.

Now Esmee’s dad Chris Godwin said that they were on course for the £10,000 goal within a month.

He said: “It is magical to be close to our target.

“At the moment we have about £8,000, but I am pretty confident we’ll reach the target.

“We have a couple of thousand from a few things still to come through.

“We should have a cheque to hand over to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton General Hospital in December.”

Chris lives at Godmanstone with wife Gill and their children Joshua, eight, Thomas, six, Alisha, three, and Ciaran, 18 months.

Esmee died aged two following a bout of chickenpox.

She battled double pneumonia and infections for three weeks. She was named ‘the rough and tough girl’ by doctors for her fighting spirit.

Chris and the family decided to raise £10,000 for the PICU unit in her memory, but suffered a blow when the recession hit.

Chris said: “We were hit at the worst possible time.

“The initial impact knocked us a little bit, so £10,000 is an amazing amount of money to raise for the PICU. I am overwhelmed with the response and support we have had.”

The money will be used to buy lifesaving equipment for the PICU, which has recently moved within the hospital grounds.

Chris, along with friends and relatives, completed the Three Peaks Challenge to boost the funds in June.

Car dealer Alan Old, of Portesham, also weighed in with a donation for £1,000, and the Gaggle of Geese pub in Buckland Newton has donated funds raised at a recent poultry auction.

Chris said: “Very few local companies have been able help because of the current financial climate. Olds were one of the few exceptions. Most of the money has come from individuals, including those who have read about it in the Dorset Echo.

“We will never be able to thank local people enough.”