IT has been an incredibly difficult year for one Chapelford family after their 14-month-old daughter was diagnosed with an incurable and rare disease.

But they are now planning to turn their grief into something positive with a fundraising trek up the Yorkshire three peaks to fund further research into neurometabolic conditions.

Luna Townsend Brown was born seven weeks early weighing 4lbs and has suffered with health problems ever since.

After being hospitalised for recurrent chest infections, Luna was finally admitted to Alder Hey for six weeks after showing no signs of being able to sit up when she was around seven months old.

Mum Sophie Townsend, aged 32, added: "From there it was a snowball effect and she was diagnosed with a chronic lung infection before something was else was added to the list every day.

"She endured an MRI, a lumbar puncture, a blood transfusion and had a gastrostomy (PEG) fitted as well as being put on the blind register."

After weeks of investigations, Luna's family were finally given the heartbreaking news she was suffering from a rare neurometabolic disease that meant she was almost certainly unlikely to ever walk or talk.

Sophie, who gave birth to baby sister April while Luna was in hospital four months ago, added: "It's really rare and complicated and even we don't understand all of it.

"All we have been told is they can't pinpoint which neurometabolic condition it is yet as they're all very rare and from our own research we have found the majority of children are lucky if they get past age five.

"It's hard waiting for the doctor to give us more news and in the middle of it all I had another baby and Luna and April didn't meet for a month.

"When we finally got the girls home we had time to take stock and decided we wanted to keep positive and do something productive."

Sophie and partner Peter Brown, aged 40, will be raising cash for Climb, which supports families of children with metabolic disorders and works to explain the complex conditions, and will be joined by a group of friends as well as three strangers who read about the fundraiser on social media sites.

Sophie, who is also mum to Mia, aged 12, Rhys, aged seven and Ava, aged five, added: "Luna deserves us to take on a real challenge so we wanted to pick something that wouldn't be easy.

"It's great people who we have never met are joining us and we hope to raise as much as we can."

A charity zumba night is also being held at Chapelford Village Primary School on August 17 from 7 to 8pm.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/LunasLegends.