A FATHER from Malmesbury has enlisted the help of 20 friends to run the Bath Half Marathon next month to raise £20,000 for Helen & Douglas House children's hospice.

Simon Kershaw, 33, has been helped by the hospice after his 18 month old daughter, Olivia, was infected with a parasite, toxoplasmosis, before she was born.

The chances of this happening are 1:100,000. Inflammation in her brain and eyes has caused a lot of problems and Helen & Douglas House have provided support for the family.

Simon sent out a message on What’s App inviting friends to take part in the fundraising effort by running the marathon on Sunday, March 4.

He said: "We have a group on Strava with a leaderboard so each week we can compare who has run the farthest in training. We have a WhatsApp group for encouragement and top tips. A few of the runners haven’t run at all since school. Training started in October.

“I am sure on the day the fast ones will tear off and try and set a new PB whilst the remainder will stick together going steady. We will all be wearing our orange H & D running vests. After the race we will all have lunch together in a restaurant in Bath.

“Fundraising is going well with over £19,000 raised already. Some people’s work have also said that they will match any donations that their employee receives."

Simon added: “Helen & Douglas House is a fantastic place where the staff and facilities come together to provide a wonderful environment for children like Olivia. Let’s raise as much as we can for such a great cause.”

Alison Hooker from Helen & Douglas House said: “We are delighted that Simon and his friends have chosen to raise money for our charity. We rely on donations like this to help local terminally ill children and cannot do this without the help of wonderful people like Simon and his friends.”

  •  If you would like to make a donation go to justgiving.com/teams/bcrtb