The parents of baby Tommy Hollis said they hoped a fund set up in his memory would be a fitting legacy for their “special” son.

Kate and Chris Hollis set up the Tommy Hollis Charitable Fund following their son’s death to help children in need of extra care.

Tommy died two days after being hit by a falling lamppost as he slept in his buggy outside Chiswick town hall on February 23.

Mrs Hollis, 38, said: “We still find it incredibly difficult even to believe it happened.

"We waited a long time to have Tommy. He was extra special.

"He had an amazing effect on people because he was a happy, smiley boy who spread joy wherever he went.”

The couple said it was the overwhelming response from the tight-knit community of Chiswick that spurred on their fundraising efforts.

Mrs Hollis said: “We have been quite touched by what people have said about Tommy.

“The reality is it could have been any child leaving the town hall as there are so many who visit there.

“Chiswick is quite a close-knit community and because of where this happened I think it really shocked people. It really struck a chord.”

A joint investigation is being carried out by the Metropolitan Police’s special crime division, Hounslow CID and the health and safety executive. Police have not ruled out bringing a charge of corporate manslaughter against Hounslow Council.

On March 26, more than 300 people attended a memorial service held at Christ Church, Turnham Green, not far from the site of the incident, to remember Tommy.

Since the youngster’s death the couple, of Sutton Court Road, have focused all their efforts on setting up the fund in memory of their son.

The fund’s website states: “As parents now without a child we would like to give loving care to children, in particular those without parents. We would also like to help bereaving parents who, like us, have lost a child.”

Mrs Hollis said: “People’s responses were so supportive we thought we would do something good with that.

“He was such a special person we thought he deserved a legacy that would benefit others.”

Mrs Hollis, a senior legal counsel at GE Capital, and her 40-year-old husband, a pilot, now hope the fund will raise money for charities offering help to sick, underprivileged and orphaned children.

The fund is aimed at supporting children’s charities, focusing on organisations with low overheads where the money raised goes directly to the children who need help. One such charity is React – Rapid Effective Assistance for Children with Potentially Terminal Illness – based in Kew.

Mrs Hollis said: “We are carefully considering which charities to support.

“All the trustees are volunteers, who give their time freely to the fund. They are people who knew Tommy so it’s very close to their hearts.”

She said even four months after Tommy’s death well-wishers were still writing messages of sympathy in condolence books at Chiswick town hall. The couple have also received scores of letters from people around the country wishing to pass on their support.

Mr and Mrs Hollis had a stall for the fund at the recent Green Days weekend in Bedford Park.

Mrs Hollis said: “People were really supportive.

“Some people said how brave we were and how amazing it was to have set up the fund but we are really not, we are just trying to make some good come from Tommy’s life.”

Waitrose in Chiswick has a collection box for the fund as part of its Community Matters campaign.

The fund has a number of events planned for the summer – there will be a stall at Chiswick Summer Fair on July 10 on Turnham Green; Gymboree and Amanda’s Action Kids are planning a children’s picnic and there will be another stall at the Community Safety Event in Chiswick on September 11.

To donate or for more information about the fund visit tommyhollisfund.co.uk.