A Teddington dad is celebrating his 50th birthday by running a half marathon for charity and to honour his late father.

John Kirwan, a 49-year-old financial services worker from Teddington will be running the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on his birthday, October 9.

John is running to raise money for the children’s charity NSPCC.

On the differences between being a child now and growing up in the 1970s John said: ”The playgrounds were made of concrete so it hurt when you fell, but although we didn’t have much materially we felt safe and secure. I remember my childhood as a happy one.”

He added: “Every child should have the same opportunity.”

More than 16,000 runners will join John on the starting line at Hyde Park, with the event going strong in its ninth year. Since its inception in 2008, the event has raised a whopping £25 million for approximately 650 charities.

The park is a poignant place for John, holding significance to both his childhood and his adult life. He said: “Hyde Park has special memories for me as it is where my parents met and we often went there as a family. I also studied at Imperial College, which is very close to the park.”

John added: “Unfortunately, my Dad is no longer with us and it seemed a good place to have some thoughts for my Dad while spending time with my family on my birthday.”

John is a father himself, of two young boys aged six and four. On parenthood John said: “Being a dad means everything to me.” He added that he runs to “keep fit”, but also to “keep up with our boys!”

On his personal goals for the run John added: “I would love to set a PB as a nice birthday treat! I am trying to find my times from previous half marathons and hoping they weren’t too far inside 1:45!”

John is hoping to raise £800, having already raised £225. If you’d like to donate you can do so via his Virgin money giving page.