A landlady and her daughter ran 13 miles in a bid to raise awareness of a rare condition which caused her grandson to be born with no eyes.

Linzi Pollard, 55, landlady of the Kings Oak Hotel in High Beach, ran the Vitality Reading Half Marathon alongside daughter Xuxa Boyle, in hopes of raising much-needed funds for charity, The Micro and Anophthalmic Children’s Society (MACS), on Sunday.

In 2011, the family gathered in to support Mrs Boyle during the birth of her first child, but said they were left “devastated” when Calum was born with one-in-a-million condition, Anopthalmia.

Mrs Pollard said: “four hours after his birth our little man had not yet opened his eyes.

"A young doctor delivered the devastating news that our darling little boy had been born without his eyes.

Epping Forest Guardian:

Calum was born without his eyes on April 23 2011.

"My daughter Xuxa began to shake uncontrollably and the midwife who had delivered Calum burst into tears.

"My son-in-law Simon came over, took Calum in his arms and whispered 'don’t worry my beautiful son, I will be your eyes forever.

"All the while our family had been coming to terms with the situation the long, strong, comforting arms of MACS had already reached out to us.

"Even before we knew who they were, or how much we would come to treasure them, the MACS family circled tight around us.

Epping Forest Guardian:

Xuxa and Linzi completed the 13 mile route on Sunday.

"We trained so hard over recent months for the run at the weekend.

"With generous donations from friends, family and customers we are thrilled to have now raised so much for this well deserved since 2011."

Since learning of the condition, which sees babies born without eyes or eye tissue, the family have raised more than £30,000 for MACS through a series of charity events and donations.

Epping Forest Guardian:

Calum cheered on his mum and grandmother from the side lines on Sunday.

The family, who completed the 13 mile route after months of training, said they do not believe that they will ever stop fundraising for the charity.

Mrs Pollard added: “we have raised £30,000 so far and we do not have a limit or a target.

"We will continue to fundraise for as long as we can to raise money for this amazing charity and awareness of this condition."

Tickets for the family's next fundraising event, ‘Ladies Night’ at The Kings Oak Hotel on September 25, can be purchased at www.kingsoakhotel.com.