A FUNDRAISING night with a twist has helped to support the charity of an inspirational Cwmbran teenager.

In March, 18-year-old Emily Clark passed away following breathing complications, but her Remission Possible blog showcased her charisma and defiance in her battle with blood cancer - non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

On Thursday, a masterclass was held at Mojo the food bar in Newport, after Emily’s mother found out about a conservation between her daughter and a nurse on the subject of gin.

“The gin thing came about when Emily was in hospital and she got talking to a nurse after she said she’d never tried gin so that became a topic of conversation between the two,” said Donna Dunn.

“The plan was for her to enjoy the evening as well but she passed away before she had the chance. But I’d also never tried gin so I thought why not.”

She added that the masterclass was an amazing experience, and they managed to hit their target to sell 25 tickets on the night.

“We raised between £250 and £300 for Remission Possible towards the bone marrow transplant unit at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff where Emily was treated.”

Meanwhile, a running team will be raising money for Emily Clark at the forthcoming Cardiff Half marathon, taking place on Sunday, October 2.

“Originally Emily was in remission and she wanted to train of the half marathon,” said Ms Dunn.

“I did the half marathon last year and hated it but I decided to run it again after a friend of mine, Jeff Smith, started the Running for Emily group this year following her passing.”

The group has grown in size to 129 members, and all the money that the group raises will be donated to the hospital which treated her daughter.

However, the group also had a cathartic side to it as well.

“We talk about Emily, about the things she did as well laughing about her and cursing her for the running, which is good for everyone,” said her mother.

“For many people, death is a taboo subject but being able to talk about it frankly is good and it has also helped my other kids to talk about it.

“We asked people to raise £200 to enter but we’ve had people going above that, with some wanting to raise £400 and one gentlemen aiming to raise around £1000 – everyone’s got their own target.

“All of the money raised by the team will go towards funding the transplant unit of the University Hospital of Wales, where she was treated.”