A BUSINESSWOMAN has doubled her £20,000 fundraising target in honour of a 28-year-old mum who died of cervical cancer.

Jane Walker, who runs horse training weekends through her company Active Rider, became involved with terminally ill horse rider Zoe Milton, who had a 20-month-old son, when she wrote to her to cancel a booking because of her illness.

Jane, from Loveclough, said: “I rang her to qualify this further and was saddened by her news.

“I felt compelled to offer help and offered to raise money for her horse’s keep to help the family during this time.

“She said she would speak to her mum, Caroline, and that was the last and only time I spoke to Zoe.”

“Caroline, contacted me on facebook the next morning and said Zoe cried happy tears at the Bolton Hospice that night and asked me to raise money for the hospice as they had been brilliant with her and the whole family.”

That night Jane set up a Just Giving account for people to donate to, and set a target of £1,000, which was met in just 48 hours by Jane’s customers and friends.

Spurred on by the generosity, Jane raised her aim to £5,000, began a raffle and gained a small army of fundraising volunteers, including her daughter Victoria, 14. This target was then smashed, as was £10,000.

Jane said: “We found out Zoe had died while driving home from an event on September 21.

“I asked Victoria to check my messages and we saw the news. We drove for about 10 minutes on the motorway in stony silence, both of us cried whilst travelling and then I said ‘We are going to smash this Victoria. Let’s double this for Zoe’. So my sights were set on £20,000 and I wanted it for her funeral two weeks later.”

Jane now wants to raise £50,000 in Zoe’s memory, and has scores of luxury raffle prizes, including holidays to Tenerife, bridal makeovers, jewellery, tablet computers, signed football shirts, and a wide variety of quality horse riding equipment.

Jane said: “The effort has been immense, the input from the equestrian community has been overwhelming.

“The team of volunteers I have helping us to kick this fundraising out of the park have stood up and joined in and been up with me at 1am and are still going. For that I am very grateful.”

To donate to the fund, visit www.justgiving.com/ActiveRiderUK.