A SUPERMARKET store manager is hitting the road to raise money in memory of his daughter.

Justin Kline, who manages the Tesco store in Weymouth, will walk 100km around the area on Friday and Saturday to raise money for Poole hospice Julia's House, which cared for his daughter Sophie before she died.

His campaign began last month when the Tesco 'chevrons' at his store were turned gold to mark Childhood Awareness Month.

Justin said: “It’s time to talk about care and not just cure.

“I’m here to raise awareness of the importance of cancer care, for those children and their families who are suffering the news that the illness that’s been diagnosed is incurable."

The walk will see Justin visit 33 Tesco stores in 24 hours, with each one having planned their own fundraising efforts to support him, and it will commence at 6am on Friday at the Ringwood Tesco Express store in Butlers Lane.

Sophie Kline was only eight years old when she died earlier this year, having suffered from an aggressive brain tumour found in an area of the brainstem called the pons, which controls vital functions such as breathing.

Justin added: “The reality is that there was no cure for the type of cancer Sophie suffered and so the emphasis had to be on the quality of her life after she was diagnosed. Julia’s House helps children with life limiting illnesses and they were able to care for Sophie from inside our own home, which made all the difference.

“Their staff cared as much about making her smile as they did about relieving her pain and that’s why I’m so keen that the type of support they offer can be extended to reach other families in need.”

People will be able to pledge money to Julia’s House either by visiting one of the Tesco stores along the route he is walking, or by visiting the charity’s website, juliashouse.org

Justin, who is being accompanied on the walk by fellow store managers, will follow a route which takes him to Kinson and Bournemouth before a second day of stop-offs encompassing the areas of Poole, Sandbanks and Branksome.

Julia’s House chief executive, Martin Edwards, added: “We receive one of the lowest levels of government funding of any UK hospice service, so the support from Justin and his colleagues is a huge boost to us.”