THE mother of a seriously-ill Worcester boy has made a heart-felt plea to city people to get walking in aid of a hospice that helps children like her son.

Caroline Jordan's 10-year-old son, Alex, has a condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe neuromuscular disorder, which will ultimately leave him wheelchair-bound.

To give the Jordan's respite from the gruelling round-the-clock care he requires, Alex has stayed at Acorns hospice in Bath Road, Worcester, several times since the state-of-the-art place opened in March.

Now Acorns' mascot Archie is inviting families and children to join him on the charity's Big Walk, which is taking place at Worcester Countryside Centre in Wildwood Drive, Spetchley, on Sunday, September 25.

Alex, of St Peter's, will be joined by his mum, dad Martin, and seven-year-old sister Carenza, as well as their two dogs, Samson and Bryher, on the walk.

"One of our favourite family walks is around the countryside centre," said Caroline. "However, as Alex gets older, he'll have less and less muscle strength. Although he can walk now, it's likely that he'll end up in a wheelchair all of the time.

"The new hospice is fantastic. Alex has visited several times this summer and has had a great time and made lots of new friends. "It's also meant that we have been able to go on a camping trip recently and do more energetic activities while we were away.

Acorns is already making a big difference to us all." Walkers can choose to complete either a one-and-half-mile walk, suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, or a longer four-mile route, and people can bring their own picnic and enjoy a magic show afterwards.

Entrance costs £5 per person (accompanied children under 12 go free) with participants asked to raise as much sponsorship as they can. Registration will be between noon and 2pm on the day. To sign up or find out more call 01386 554848.