Tina Duffy is going for a walk at the beginning of July. Nothing unusual about that you might think - except that it’s a 100km hike along the Cotswold Way.

The 51-year-old will be accompanied on her marathon trek by her two 25-year-old stepsons - Jack and Callum Kerr - and 14-year-old son Gregor and husband Stuart who are primed to walk 50km.

The walk will take place during Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July and is part of a two-day ultra challenge where they will be walking the whole way without stopping apart from meal breaks.

Friends and family will be joining them along the route to offer support and encouragement.

The walks are being organised to raise money so that Tina’s eight-year-old daughter Kitty can have a life-changing operation in Bristol.

Kitty has Diplegic Cerebral Palsy which is a type of cerebral palsy which affects the legs. It means that she cannot walk without the use of a walker.

Not that it’s the first thing that people notice about her because she has a winning smile that won over none other than Princess Anne when she presented her with a bouquet to mark the Cotswold Riding for the Disabled Association’s 50th anniversary a couple of years ago.

“She’s a lovely girl,” said her proud mum, “and she’s very strong mentally, so determined. She’s got a bright outlook on life and is very charming.”

Tina and her husband Stuart want to raise enough funds so that the St Gregory’s Primary School pupil in Cheltenham can have the operation in Bristol at the end of this year or the beginning of next.

“It’s a big operation to stop the spasms in her legs,” Tina said. “They’ll operate on her spine but that in itself will not cure the problem. She will then have to have three or four years of therapy so it will be intense but there’s a good record of success.

“She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was one. She can get about with a walking frame but she gets tired very quickly. We want to have the operation sooner rather than later so that she’ll be more mobile - even if she’s walking with sticks - and spasm free for when she starts secondary school.”

Tina and Stuart need to raise £70,000 to £80,000 for the operation and the therapy that follows, which is not currently funded by the NHS, although their initial target is £30,000 by the end of the year.

They are raising money through the children’s charity Just4children, who supports families with disabled and sick children.

“All our fundraising is banked with Just4children, who then pay the bills for surgery, therapy and rehabilitation and specialist equipment,” said Tina.

“We felt it was very important to make the whole process very transparent.

“We don’t need to raise all the money in one go. We can pay for the therapy as we go along. We’re quite lucky that we’ve already got £7,000 in savings.”

Tina said she thought long and hard before embarking on a fundraising campaign.

“It doesn’t sit easily with me,” said Tina, who lives in the Reddings and works with her self-employed husband. “I’ve never asked for anything in my life. I had to take a deep breath before we went ahead with this but of course it’s right for Kitty.”

So, what’s the farthest that Tina has ever walked?

“About 20km,” she laughed. “It’s a brave step but I thought if we’re going to do a challenge it ought to be a proper challenge. I walked part of the Isbourne Way the other day which takes you from Cleeve to Toddington and it went fine.

“Mind you, it’s not as hilly as the Cotswold Way!”

The charity walk will take place just 10 days after the longest day of the year so Tina is hoping that by then we will be in the middle of a typical English summer with plenty of rain.

“I don’t mind if it is a little cooler,” she laughed.

Unlike her son and stepsons, Tina has not played any sport since her schooldays although she occasionally goes to the gym.

All three boys played rugby for Cheltenham Tigers - Chosen Hill School pupil Gregor still does - before Jack joined Cheltenham Saracens and Callum moved to Old Patesians, although Callum has not played in recent times because of injury.

Kitty, meanwhile, enjoys swimming, gymnastics and riding with the RDA. She has also recently started ballet and sings weekly with the Cheltenham Youth Choir.

Her mum says her daughter is “always smiling”. She deserves all the help she gets.

Details of further fundraising events can be found at @Cotswoldkittywalks Facebook page. Donations to JustGiving or text £5 to KITT93 70070.