A CHARITY set up in memory of a young man who lost his battle against two brain tumours is hosting its first fundraiser this weekend.

The family of Reece Hawley, of Clay Hill Road, Basildon, fulfilled his dying wish by setting up a foundation in his name to support other youngsters suffering from cancer.

Its charity status was officially confirmed on Saturday, May 2, on the day Reece would have turned 22.

The trustees of the Reece Hawley Foundation will meet later this week to discuss future plans, and an evening of swing music will take place at Q Ball sports bar, inBasildon town centre, on Saturday to raise money for the charity.

Mum Karen Hawley, 51, said: “We did so much fundraising when Reece was here, but now it’s for a different cause. We want to keep his memory alive and keep the momentum going.

“We’ve had people come to us with fundraising ideas, which is absolutely brilliant. People always think something like this won’t happen to them, so we expected everyone to just get on with their own lives once Reece died. His story seemed to touch so many people.

"Whoever says time is a healer is lying, it seems to get even harder as time goes on."

Reece, an early years education student at South Essex College, died in October, just a day after 40 loved ones watched him receive his degree during a ceremony at St Luke’s Hospice, in Basildon.

Family, friends and strangers from across the world raised more than £74,000 so the former Woodlands School pupil could use cancer drug Avastin.

Consultants recommended the drug after chemotherapy proved unsuccessful, but it was not available on the NHS.

Reece began the treatment a month before his death, but by then his cancer was too aggressive.

He was fit and healthy until he had a bleed on the brain in May 2013, caused by a tangle of blood vessels called arteriovenous malformation. After undergoing six weeks of daily radiotherapy and chemotherapy, his family thought he was on the mend.

However, on the day he was being discharged, they were given the devastating news doctors had found two tumours.

A group of 12 family members, including Reece’s girlfriend Chelsea Digby, 22, will travel to Mexico in October to mark the first anniversary of his death and scatter his remaining ashes.

Karen added: “We were meant to go to Mexico just after Reece was diagnosed, but we had to cancel the holiday and Reece was so upset because he really wanted to go.

“I can’t imagine what we would do on the anniversary if we stayed here, it would be awful. Do you go out for a meal or do you just sit at home? We just need to keep busy and all be together.”