A father has pledged to keep his son's legacy alive through his fundraising.

Chris Ryan will be taking on the London Marathon this Sunday in aid of KentOnline's charity of the year mcch.

The charity, which supports people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions, helped Mr Ryan's son Danny before he passed away at the age of 30.

Mr Ryan, who is from Swanscombe, said of the challenge ahead: "Before my son passed away mcch found him accommodation and supported him in finding a job in woodwork.

"I'm choosing to run for them because they were so good to him and they used to help him out, I thought it was only right I did some fundraising for them.

"I enjoy running, I used to do it when I was young."

The warehouse worker added: "Because it's such a popular race it gives me a chance to make people aware of the charity.

"I've been training, I go to a boxing gym every Tuesday and I run every other day.

"I hope it's a very good day and I hope Danny is running with me and his spirit will be running with me."

It's not the first time Chris has raised funds for the charity.

"It'll be the first marathon but I did the Vitality Run in London for mcch as well, also in 2016 I did the Northdown run in Kent," he added.

"I hope Danny is running with me and his spirit will be running with me" - Chris Ryan

Fundraising officer at the organisation, Katie Peckham, said: "This is going to be such a huge achievement for Chris, in his first marathon for mcch.

"To be among thousands of competitors running for their favourite causes, must be an emotional experience and Chris will be no exception.

"For the last few years, Chris has been taking up challenges to raise money for mcch, in memory of his much-loved son.

"We're so grateful to him and hope he enjoys the day."

At the time of writing Mr Ryan had raised £1,200.

If you would like to support Chris please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-ryan10

For more information about the charity visit www.mcch.org.uk.