A 21-year-old shop worker will be tottering around in heels for 28 days to raise money for a leukaemia charity.

Alicia Douglas, who works at Ted Baker in the Westfield Shopping Mall, is a friend of the deceased campaigner Daniel De Gale.

The Afro-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) was set up to find a bone marrow match for Daniel. His parents Beverley De Gale and Orin Lewis set up the charity in 1996 due to a shortage of black and mixed raced people on the register.

Miss Douglas has raised £250 so far. She said: “Knowing Daniel and his story has made me feel inspired. Daniel was a great person, loved by many.

“I don’t usually wear heels everyday as part of my lifestyle. I normally just wear them on a night out or, if I want to jazz up an outfit a bit, but that’s for about two or three hours or so and even that hurts. Now I’ve traded my flat for heels.

“I am two weeks into the challenge and it is getting easier. You get used to it.

“My work colleagues have been extremely generous and I hope other people in the borough will sponsor me if they can.

“Even a few pounds will make a huge difference and mean the ACLT can continue their invaluable work supporting families and increasing the amount of people put onto the register.”

Since the setting up the charity in 1996, the number of black and mixed raced potential donors in the UK have increased from 580 to 25,000. The charity wants to increase this number to 60,000.

You can sponsor Alicia by visiting her online fundraising page on justgiving.com/ 28dayheels. The money will go directly to the ACLT.