THE family of a young woman who died from a suspected accidental overdose have launched an awareness campaign on the anniversary of her death.

Ila Scheckter, daughter of Formula One former champion Jody and his wife Clare, died at her family home at Laverstoke Park Farm near Overton a year ago today.

To mark the anniversary of her death, the Scheckter family has collaborated with Young Epilepsy to sell T-shirts to help raise awareness and funds. 

Twenty-one-year-old Ila had hopes of becoming an ambassador for the charity after experiencing seizures herself which caused anxiety.

Posting on social media, the Scheckter family said: “Our lives will never be the same with the loss of Ila’s huge capacity for love, her laughter, compassion, empathy, total wackiness, smile, huge hugs and so much more.”

They added: “Please remember all your wonderful times with Ila – when she made you laugh, when she supported you when life was tough, when she gave you hugs, sent you rude and inappropriate texts, danced madly, sang loudly and badly, hit you with her megawatt smile and how she enriched your life. Illa would want to be remembered for the love and friendship she shared with you, not the sadness of her passing.”

Her mother, Clare, added: “A whole year since I last hugged her, kissed her soft cheek, held her hand in a unique way, told her how proud I was of her and how much I loved her.

“The loss of Ila in our lives is too huge to ever adequately describe.”

Clare described her grief as “coming in waves”, explaining: “Sometimes you can see it coming towards you and you try to brace yourself for it; other times something small can trigger a wave you don’t expect and it knocks you sideways.”

Ila died two years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and was battling with addiction after developing epilepsy following major brain surgery.

For more information on the T-shirts go to @rememberingila on Instagram.