A Norfolk woman who lost her father to brain cancer has raised £2,500 for Brain Tumour Research, with donations pouring in from the many people who knew him.

Kirsty Prior, 34 and from Foulsham, had already signed up to walk 10,000 steps on each day of February to raise money for the charity when her father, Christopher Fisher, died aged 60 on January 20.

Mr Fisher, who Ms Prior described as “a fighter” in his battle with the tumour, was diagnosed in September 2019, and had been given 12 to 15 months to live.

“He knew I was going to do [the fundraiser], and then unfortunately he passed away before he could even see how much was raised,” Ms Prior said.

Donations began pouring in immediately, and Mr Fisher’s family were “overwhelmed” by people’s generosity, his daughter said.

“My first goal was £150, but it went absolutely crazy... I think there was nearly £1,000 just on the first night,” she said, adding that her father was well-known in Foulsham as a game-keeper.

“He had so many friends in different walks of life. It just touched all of them, and I think that’s why the fundraiser did so well.”

With her father’s death being so recent, Ms Prior said she felt even more motivated to rise to the challenge.

In the first week of February, she was isolating at home with coronavirus, but that didn’t stop her pacing the lengths of her house to clock in the daily 10,000 steps.

Fakenham & Wells Times: Kirsty Prior raised £2,500 for Brain Tumour Research after walking 293,920 stepsKirsty Prior raised £2,500 for Brain Tumour Research after walking 293,920 steps (Image: Kirsty Prior)

Once her quarantine was over, Ms Prior was able to walk around Foulsham, joined occasionally by her son and daughter, and had completed 293,920 steps by the end of the month.

Ms Prior said she was “shocked” to learn that just 1pc of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to brain tumours, despite it being the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40.

“It’s such a low percentage," she said, "and when it affects your family, like it has us, you look at that and you think: Why?

“This needs more support, and that was another reason why I really wanted to do it,” she added.

To donate to Brain Tumour Research visit braintumourresearch.org/donation