Two dads are running the London Marathon next month to raise money for the school their daughters attend.

Money raised by Chris Kedward and George Evans will go towards a project to upgrade the tennis and netball courts at Marlwood School.

The Friends of Marlwood School (FOMS) helped to finance the cleaning of the courts in the spring. Stage two of the project is to upgrade the area into a multi-sport facility.

Chris and George have chosen FOMS as their charity for the marathon and Evans and will kick-start the fundraising efforts for the second stage of the court refurbishment project when they take on the 26-mile run on October 3.

This will be the first London Marathon either has entered.

Chris, who has run several marathons before said: "I first entered the London Marathon in 2019 but had to postpone it due to working overseas.

"Then in 2020 it was rescheduled a further two times and so finally in 2021 I'll be taking part... fourth time lucky!

"My goal is to make it round in one piece and obviously raise as much money as possible for my daughters' school.”

A member of Thornbury Running Club, George has attempted a marathon once before.

"He said: “I am really looking forward to taking part in the London Marathon.

"With two daughters at Marlwood School, we know that some parts of the school need rejuvenating.

"Being able to combine doing something that I love with raising money to improve sports facilities at Marlwood is terrific."

New headteacher of Marlwood School, Seema Purewal, praised the efforts of FOMS.

“Once again FOMS rises to the challenge of raising more funds towards upgrading the school facilities – focussing on the school tennis and netball courts.

"This time, dedicated dads George Evans and Chris Kedward put their best foot forward as they train hard to prepare for the London Marathon.

"This is a prime example of the Marlwood community in action, and Marlwood pupils are so fortunate to have already benefitted from such an active PTA.

"I look forward to supporting them with this event and many more to come. Good luck. We’ll be cheering you all the way," she said.

You can donate at tinyurl.com/Chris-Kedward and tinyurl.com/Soilfix-George

More information about FOMS is available via their Facebook page or by emailing marlwoodfriends@gmail.com