A family from Swindon have completed a two-day challenge to visit elephants in zoos across England in memory of their daughter, who lost her battle with a rare form of cancer.

Gary and Joanne Venton lost Chloë to Ewing sarcoma in 2020, when she was just 17, and one of her final wishes was to visit all the elephants at zoos in the UK, but lockdown stopped these plans.

The family set out a plan to combine Chloë’s love of elephants with her childhood love of motorbikes and ride to West Midlands Safari Park, Chester Zoo, Blackpool Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo, Colchester Zoo and Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm over July 2 and 3, to raise money for Chloë’s Fight with Ewings, a special fund of the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

READ MORE: Family to visit elephants at UK zoos in memory of daughter

Chloë’s mum Joanne said: “It went really well, the only one we didn’t get to go to was Noah’s Ark because of the traffic. We managed to achieve raising awareness and people were asking us about it. Someone on the M6 was driving right next to us and took a picture of the sign and donated later.

“The zoos were amazing, they went above and beyond. They took us behind the scenes and Chloë would have loved it. They closed the area around the elephants so we could take photos and it was nice but really hard.

“Her grandad and brother were on the bike and her other brother came with me in the car. They want to do what they can because they were like three peas in a pod. It was the most I’ve driven in three years after having had a car accident.”

July marks sarcoma awareness month and it was Chloë’s wish to raise awareness of the symptoms to ‘give others the chance of survival’ after she was misdiagnosed.

Joanne added: “She was full of life, driven and wanted to be a paediatrician. Even when she was ill, she was still studying for her GCSEs and A-Levels.

“We were sore and tired by the end of the day, but we did it for just a few days. Someone with sarcoma is in pain for months or sometimes years before a diagnosis and treatment.”

Their efforts have raised nearly ten thousand pounds and the family are planning a fun day next year to continue honouring Chloë’s memory.