A CHARITY run from Minehead to Barnstaple to raise funds for the South West's only children's hospice will have a special poignancy after the death of the youngster who inspired the event. Dylan Dunn, the grandson of Williton couple Allan and Anne Dyer, lost his battle against the rare Sandhoff's Disease on Sunday, just a few weeks before his second birthday and a fortnight before Dylan's Run will take place. The youngster was surrounded by his family, including Allan and Anne and his parents Jon and former Danesfield Community Middle School and West Somerset Community College pupil Jane. "Dylan died in the hospice and we were all with him," Allan told the Free Press this week. "The support and care given to him there was fantastic and it makes you realise just what an important place it is and how much it needs funds. The staff are wonderful." Dylan's plight was featured in the Free Press in March when his family admitted they knew he could have just a few months to live. He was already spending time at the hospice to give Jane, who gave birth to the couple's second child in February, and Jon a break from the 24-hour care he needed and to allow him to take advantage of a range of specialist sensory equipment. And the story prompted a generous and heart- warming response from Free Press readers from across the district and beyond who made donations, pledged sponsorship and began arranging fundraising events. Dylan showed no signs of the genetic condition which claimed his life until he was nine months old but Sandhoff's attacks the nervous system and left him progressively paralysed. However, despite the devastating and cruel future facing their first grandchild, Allan and Anne were determined that something positive should come out of the family's tragedy and enlisted the help of fellow members at Minehead Running Club. Teams of between three and ten runners - 24 in all - will tackle the 73-mile trek from Minehead to the hospice, Little Bridge House near Barnstaple, in sections next Sunday. Almost £3,000 has been donated so far and organisers are hoping that sponsorship and other fundraising events will mean a total of at least £5,000 will be handed over to the charity which provided Dylan with the type of care on which no value can be placed. The hospice relies totally on fundraising and donations to cover its annual £3 million running costs "The run will definitely still go ahead, despite Dylan's death," said Allan. "We always knew his condition was terminal but we didn't know how long he would have." Collecting boxes for Dylan's Run are currently in many local shops, including Minehead Radio, the Britannia Inn and Cranmer's opticians. Dylan's funeral will take place on Monday in Devon, where Jane, Jon and their daughter Hali live.