A FUNDRAISNG reverend from South Lakeland is to compete in an epic run from Ulverston to Keswick to support a charity close to his family's heart.

The Rev Matt Keddilty, of Ulverston Parish Church, will take part in the 73-mile Cumbria Way Ultra to help fund a cure for type 1 diabetes, which his daughter, Ruth, was diagnosed with last year.

He has set a target of raising £2,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a leading charity helping to find a cure for the condition.

Mr Keddilty said Ruth's diagnosis last Easter had made her mature beyond her years as she learned to live with type 1 diabetes.

"She had to grow up very quickly with being told she had a condition that, if she didn't manage it properly, could kill her," he said.

"She struggles with it at times but we've not let it stop her in life. We wanted to show her that she controls the diabetes, not the other way round."

Mr Keddilty is running the Cumbria Way Ultra as a late Christmas present to his daughter. On December 25 last year, he found out his wife Alison and Ruth, the oldest of their five children, had signed him up for the event on September 16.

With more than 10,000 feet of ascent, the run goes over varied terrain in the Lake District taking in popular spots such as Coniston Water, Tarn Hows, Dungeon Ghyll, Stake Pass to Borrowdale, Derwent Water and Keswick and on to the finish in Carlisle. Although he is a regular runner that has completed marathons in the past, Mr Keddilty said he had to up his training for the Cumbria Way Ultra. After starting in January, he typically runs up to six times a week, and on some outings runs for more than seven hours. He hopes to complete the race route in between 16 to 20 hours.

To support the fundraiser, visit https://www.give.net/run4ruth