A fundraising walk by Drumchapel friends is to go ahead after a close friend passed away suddenly at the weekend.

Leanne Hawkins had been diagnosed with stomach cancer just three weeks ago and told the disease was incurable.

But family and friends of the 21-year-old are grieving after the disease took her even sooner on Sunday.

As reported in last week’s Clydebank Post, friends had been planning a special walk to raise cash to send Leanne on a dream trip to Disneyland Paris in November after she had completed a round of chemotherapy to slow the disease.

They vowed the 12-mile walk from Drumchapel to Balloch on November 18 would go ahead and funds would go to Leanne’s family to use as they wish.

Pals Karen Neil, Lucy Toal, Karen McCluskey, Kirsty Findlay and Zara Cuthbertson told the Post: “Leanne was a special friend to us all, she was kind, intelligent, beautiful and made a huge impact on everyone she met.

“We are all truly thankful that we got to have Leanne in our lives even if it was only for a little while. We would like to thank everyone for their support and we would wish to give greatest sympathy to her family at this heartbreaking time.

“True friends appear when the world feels like it’s falling apart, but with help from each other we piece it back together.”

Leanne, from Blantyre, met Karen and Lucy, from Drumchapel, at the UWS Hamilton campus where they were studying for Banchelor of Arts degrees in criminal justice.

She started losing weight in February and complained of stomach pains but never thought cancer could be a possibility.

Karen, 22, told the Post last week: “We were devastated when we heard about Leanne’s illness and wanted to do something to help.

“We will be doing a sponsored walk from Drumchapel to Balloch on November 18 and we are looking for as many people as possible to support us.”

A fundraising page - justgiving.com/crowdfunding/leannehawkins - has raised more than £10,000 to date, twice the original target.

Those who wish to donate for the girls walk can do so via the JustGiving page or visit 50 States Diner in Clydebank, where Karen works.