Pete and Kirsty Housley pictured at the Bristol Half Marathon.

A FATHER from North Somerset is preparing to run his first London marathon to mark a poignant anniversary for his family.

Ellen Housley who died waiting for a liver transplant in 2007.

It is five years since Pete Housley’s 10-month-old daughter, Ellen, who was born with a rare liver disease, died waiting for a liver transplant.

Pete, from Wrington, will be running the marathon in her memory to raise £5,000 for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF).

He said: “I wanted to do something special to mark this anniversary and CLDF remains a very special charity to our family.

“Without the information they gave us, we would have known even less about what was happening to Ellen. They provide support to families affected by childhood liver disease, which is something we and many other families continue to benefit from.”

Pete’s sister Kirsty, who lives in London, is also doing the marathon and she will be marking another important date.

Because Ellen would have been six this year, Kirsty has chosen to mark the occasion by running six marathons in six weeks to raise £6,000.

Pete said: “So although this is my first marathon and Kirsty has run quite a few, she really needs to pace herself.

“London is her second one so she will need to conserve her energy for the other four.

“My training has been going quite well and I’m aiming to complete the course in three and a half hours. The important target is the fundraising one, if I can hit that, I’ll be really satisfied.”

To support Pete Housley in the London Marathon visit www.justgiving.com/Pete-Housley

To support Kirsty’s six marathons in six weeks effort visit www.justgiving.com/Kirsty-Housley2012