THE mother of a murdered backpacker from Wickford is using her grief in a positive way as she prepares to climb Kilimanjaro in memory of her daughter.

Grace Millane, a 22-year-old from Wickford, was tragically murdered by Jesse Kempson, 28, in December 2018 while backpacking in New Zealand.

She was travelling the world at the time, and while in New Zealand met her killer on the dating app Tinder before sharing some drinks at a bar on the night of her 22nd birthday.

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Grace was later strangled to death in a hotel before Kempson moved her body into a suitcase and buried her.

Her mum Gill has since set up a charity in her daughter’s memory, called Love Grace, where they support and collect items for victims of domestic abuse.

She is now taking on a charity challenge to climb Kilimanjaro next week in memory of her daughter and to raise cash for three charities - White Ribbon, St Luke’s Hospice, in Basildon, and Widowed and Young.

Gill also lost her husband David, two years after her daughter’s death, to cancer.

Speaking to BBC Essex, Gill said: “We now support the White Ribbon, which is to end violence towards women - they do such a phenomenal job to get the awareness out there.

“But, then 17 months after the trial with Grace, my husband David died of cancer, so we now also support St Luke’s as without them we simply couldn’t have had David at home.

“I decided that when Grace was taken from us, that I would continue her travels. So, I got these little pebbles with her name engraved on them, and I have since laid one in Sri Lanka, and everywhere else I have been. It is always very emotional, but it is always in a nice place, where I think she would like this. I now take one for David too, so I have one for David and Grace going up Kilimanjaro with me. To get to the top I think it is going to be very emotional, because we are watching the sunrise and believe me that is very emotional. To then put our stones down it is going to be wow we have got here, but we shouldn’t be doing this. Grace should still be with us.”

A JustGiving page has been set up for the Kilimanjaro challenge, where more than £11,000 has already been raised.