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Friends of Newcastle mum-of-two who died from a brain tumour hold Quayside walk in her memory

Sarah Hawkes thought the symptoms which she had been experiencing were the menopause

Sarah Hawkes with her husband James and their children Molly and Oliver.
Sarah Hawkes with her husband James and their children Molly and Oliver.

The friends of a mum-of-two who died from a brain tumour have held a walk in memory of her.

Sarah Hawkes passed away at her home in Chapel Park, Newcastle, after experiencing migraines and brain fog. The 45-year-old believed that she was suffering from symptoms of the menopause.

Her family were devastated when she passed away in her sleep on June 20 last year. It wasn't until they received a report from the coroner that they discovered she had a stage four brain tumour.

Sarah, who worked as a community nurse for people with learning disabilities, grew up in Newcastle with her dad Gordon, 76, her mum Maureen Robson, 73, and her older sister Lisa, who passed away aged 21.

She married her husband James, 46, after meeting him on holiday in Greece in 1999 and they had two children together - Molly, 14, and Oliver, 11.

To mark Brain Tumour Awareness Month this month, four of Sarah's friends - Wendy Jackson, 42, Clare McCartney, 43, Helen Haycock, 46, Nicola Hudson, 48 - held a 'Walk for Friendship' in memory of her.

Wendy, who lives in Westerhope, Newcastle, previously said: "It's all about people coming together to talk about Sarah and share memories as they walk along. She meant so much to everyone."

Around 150 people walked a 5km circular route of the bridges on the Quayside at 4pm on Sunday to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Some of the participants, including Sarah's family, wore red t-shirts to raise awareness of the charity.

Around £235 was collected in buckets as the group walked along the River Tyne and more than £1,300 has been raised on Just Giving.

Following the walk, Wendy thanked those who showed their support and shared their love for Sarah. She said: "Today's turn out shows how well loved she was. I am sure there were lots of great stories and memories shared today, personally for me it was so lovely seeing everyone together."

Sarah's family are also carrying out a fundraising challenge for the same charity. They are virtually walking more than 4,000 miles from their house in Newcastle to Sarah's favourite place, Disneyland Florida.

They began the challenge of walking everyday in October last year and will complete the last few steps in Disneyland Florida when they visit on May 23 - Sarah's birthday. More than £10,500 has already been raised on their Just Giving page.