Hundreds gather in Bolton to pay touching tribute to The Wanted singer Tom Parker

Hundreds of people walked through the streets of Bolton in memory of The Wanted singer Tom Parker, visiting his old haunts in the town and places special to him.

Tom, who grew up in Tonge Moor, Bolton, died at a hospice in south-east London in March at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. The 'Walk for Hope' walk was organised to celebrate Tom's life ahead of his 34th birthday this Thursday and raise money for a campaigning foundation.

Ahead of the Game foundation, which the event raised money for, said it aims to bridge a 'gap' in the NHS by providing free rehabilitation to those diagnosed with all types of cancer to make a positive impact on people's lives when they need it most.

Tom's mum, Noreen Parker, led off the walkers and said the event had grown so much she was touched by people's care and response. She told ITV Granada Reports : "It's his birthday on Thursday so this is a walk we wanted to do.

"We wanted to raise some money for Ahead of the Game. But also for people that couldn't come down to the funeral - friends, family, fans in Bolton to come along and do the walk."

The five kilometre walk through the town started at Tom's primary school, St Brendan's RC Primary, before heading to Tonge Park, where a young Tom would play with his friends. From there, walkers headed to The Swan bar for karaoke - where Tom once won a singing competition.

Parker announced in October 2020 he had been diagnosed with stage-four glioblastoma and had begun radiotherapy and chemotherapy. He wrote about his experiences in a book titled 'Hope'.

Tom married his partner, Kelsey Hardwick, in 2018 and welcomed their son, Bodhi, in October 2020. Their daughter, Aurelia Rose, was born in 2019.

Kelsey