AN inspirational teenager from Harpenden called upon her classmates last week to help raise a staggering sum for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity.

Lottie Rand, 16, has thrown all her efforts into raising money for the charity after her mum, Fiona, was diagnosed with the disease six years ago. After receiving treatment and surgery, the disease went into remission.

But Fiona now has a secondary cancer which can be controlled but not cured.

Lottie has raised hundreds for the charity so far through sponsored runs and other events and has now added another �2,000 to the total thanks to a Go Pink day at Roundwood Park School on Friday.

The whole school marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a pink-themed non-uniform day where pupils had the chance to purchase the charity’s pink pins and enjoy pink cakes from the canteen.

The teenager will also be giving assemblies, tailored to different year groups, throughout the school year.

She aims to inform her peers about the disease and to motivate them to donate by discussing the pioneering work carried out by Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Lottie, who was recently nominated for a Citygate Young People of the Year (YOPEY) Award, said: “I try to help the other students to understand the impact of breast cancer – for example, 1,000 women die of breast cancer every month, which is nearly the total number of students at my school.

“So far, the response has been excellent – my friends have been brilliantly supportive and I’ve got to know lots of new people who are keen to help out too. Everyone agrees that this is a really worthwhile and important cause.”