A DAD-of-two will be in seventh heaven after running the London Marathon in aid of two causes close to his heart on Sunday.

Matthew Cunniffe will celebrate his seventh wedding anniversary with wife Laura the day after the epic 26-mile run in the capital.

The 31-year-old, from Hindley, is raising money for Wigan and Leigh Hospice and the Royal Bolton Hospital in what will be his fourth London Marathon but his first since becoming a dad.

Matthew said: "I did my first marathon in 2009 and my last one in 2012.

"It is more difficult to fit in all the training now that I have kids but I am still confident it will go well and I hope to raise a lot of money for both causes."

The military aircraft engineer was a complete rookie runner when he signed up for his first London Marathon to pay back Wigan and Leigh Hospice for the help it gave to his gran Eileen when she became ill in 2008.

He now has three grandparents who have benefitted from the Hindley hospice's home service care.

Matthew said: “It is a place everyone in the community should feel proud of and it is important for people to keep raising money and awareness for the hospice so it can continue to do great work.

"The hospice has given my family so much help and support.

"For example, before my granddad Thomas died last year my gran Vera needed help looking after him one night and a hospice nurse stayed over from 10pm to 6am.

“We will never forget things like that."

He feels equally indebted to the Royal Bolton Hospital for saving his baby girl Evie's life.

She was born on February 3 and had to spend four days on a ventilator in intensive care to survive a lung infection.

His other child with Laura, also 31, is four-year-old son Harry.

Matthew's dad Thomas, brother Michael, brother-in-law Richard and friend Dan will be cheering him on in London.

To make a donation for the hospice or hospital visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Matthew-Cunniffe1 and justgiving.com/fundraising/Matthew-Cunniffe respectively.