DEVOTED dad Kevin Whitehorn has put on his running shoes and taken to the road to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in this year's London Marathon.

Kevin, the facility manager for Beversbrook Sports and Community Facility in Calne, was inspired by his daughter Florrie, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was just eleven days old and had a heal prick test - which came as a complete shock to her parents.

The gene affected by CF controls the movement of salt and water in and out of cells. People with CF experience a build-up of thick sticky mucus in the lungs, digestive system and other organs, causing a wide range of challenging symptoms affecting the entire body. Around 10,400 people have CF in the UK, and half of those are only likely to live to their 40th birthday.

"Since Florrie was diagnosed with CF our family has received valuable support from the Bath / Bristol NHS team and as a family we have spent a number of nights in hospital," Kevin said.

"Already, in three years we have seen a huge improvement in research and medication to keep Florrie well. Hopefully the trust can complete their mission of 'life unlimited' for everyone suffering from this horrible condition. Florrie has a great personality and takes everything in her stride with her nebulisers, physio and medication including nights and weeks in hospital. She has to have general anaesthetics to have PICC lines put in for two week courses of IV antibiotics.

"Currently she takes 16 tablets and three nebulisers a day to just keep herself well, this will increase significantly as she gets older. Everyday she spends at least 90 minutes doing all her medication, physio and nebulisers which is challenging for a three year old when she should just be having fun being a toddler."

It was October, that Kevin discovered he had a place in the London Marathon, with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's team.

"My unfit routine of doing about 2000 steps a day to running about 80 miles a month was a complete wake up call for me. Since October, I have completed two half marathons and have covered 263 miles - equivalent of driving from Devizes to Lands’ End or Devizes to Lake Windermere," he said.

Kevin's target is to raise £2,500 in sponsorship. To support him, visit https://cft-londonmarathon19.everydayhero.com/uk/kevin.