A woman whose life has been touched by leukaemia is encouraging others to join her in Bristol's first walk to support research into the disease.

Jo Bray, of Bradley Stoke, became aware of leukaemia when her mother Susan was diagnosed back in 2007.

This year she is organising the city's first Forget Me Not Walk to raise money for Leukaemia Research.

The 5km event on the Downs in October has been organised by a group of the charity's volunteers in Bristol.

Ms Bray, 33, hopes that if the walk is a success it could become an annual event in the city's fundraising calendar.

Leukaemia kills about 5,000 people in the UK each year.

Ms Bray's mum now has to rely on a lot of different drugs every day to combat the disease, but she believes that without the research, she might not be here.

She said: "It's really important to me that the walk raises as much money as possible, which will go towards clinical trials and research into cures for leukaemia, and other blood cancers such as Hodgkin's, lymphoma and myeloma. My mum was diagnosed with leukaemia two-and-a- half years ago, so I started helping out with Leukaemia Research and became a committee member more recently.

"My mum will have to live with leukaemia for the rest of her life.

"If it was not for the drugs she takes, she would not be as well as she is at the moment."

Ms Bray, a designer who lives with her partner Paul and daughter Kaitlyn, four, has helped out with other events in the past, but this will be the first that she has organised.

She said: "We want to encourage as many people as we can to sign up and take part and make this the first walk of many in years to come, which is why it's so vital that it is a success this year.

"Because it's a walk, everybody can do it. You can bring the kids, even the dog if you want to, and it's not something you have to train for months on end to do.

"We are urging people to sign up in advance of the walk because you get an event pack which includes a T-shirt and information about the day.

"Being the first one in Bristol for Leukaemia Research means it is really quite a big event to be involved with and I will be very pleased and proud of all our hard work if it is the success we hope it will be."

The walk takes place on Saturday October 3, at 10.30am with money raised going towards leukaemia research projects.

There is an entry fee of £7.50, and walkers will also be asked to raise money in sponsorship.

Leukaemia Research will have a stand giving out information and application forms on Friday from 10am to 3pm at Sainsbury's in Castle Court and at Morrisson's in Cribbs Causeway on Sunday.