A CHARITY appeal in memory of a former Bournemouth head girl has smashed its target.

Faye Holden's friends aimed to raise £2,500 when they kicked off their fund raising with a charity night for Epilepsy Research UK.

But they have already raised more than £8,000 and hope to reach £10,000 with sponsorship for the Bournemouth half marathon which takes place in early October.

Faye, the former head girl of Glenmoor School, died in April from an epileptic seizure just three months after giving birth to her first child, Austin.

Her family and friends organised a charity night in May and have been overwhelmed by the support they have received.

Friend Jade Havard said: "We raised £2,500, then raised the target to £5,000 and hit that as well. We are currently on over £8,000 so hopefully, with the help of the Echo, we can get to £10,000, which would be amazing."

Faye was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of six and suffered with seizures on an irregular basis throughout her life.

She married husband Ross Holden in 2012 and moved to Surrey, where she died at home on April 12 this year.

Her brother, Ollie Goldsmith, told the Daily Echo: "Epilepsy Research is a fantastic charity which focuses on the research for causes, treatments and prevention of epilepsy.

"Faye's story is such a tragic one but hopefully we will be able to raise lots of money for a charity which will help others with her condition."

It is estimated that there are 600,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK.

Go to justgiving.com/fundraising/jade-havard to donate to the appeal.