A LLANDEILO man has been inspired to run the London Marathon in aid of a charity supporting children and families through bereavement following the death of his sister-in-law.

Dan Cook, 40, will take on the 26-mile challenge to support Grief Encounter.

Four years ago, Dan’s sister-in-law, Natalie, died in childbirth as a result of an amniotic fluid embolism, an infection in her spine, which is a rare child birth emergency.

Grief Encounter helped to support Dan’s brother, Tim, with the couple’s four-year-old son and new born baby daughter, and now Dan wants to thank them for the work they do.

He explained: “I want to raise some money and some awareness of what this charity does.

“My sister-in-law passed away a couple of hours after giving birth to their daughter.

“Grief Encounter got in touch with my brother and have helped support him in dealing with the conversations when talking to the children about it, and much more on top of that.

“I know that for my brother their support has been invaluable.

"Processing this grief and trying to articulate my emotions has been particularly difficult for me and still is. Heaven knows what it must be like for a child - it is unimaginable.”

Dan has lived in Llandeilo for ten years, and the town has inspired him to get running.

He added: “I have been training around Llandeilo because it is a beautiful and amazing place.

“I caught the running bug about two years ago, and slowly started to build up the distances.

“It started with a 10k in Llandeilo, then I did the Cardiff half marathon before Christmas, and now I’m taking on the London Marathon in April.

“Training has been going well and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dan hopes to raise £2,000 for the charity by running on April 22.

He has raised more than £800 so far.

If you would like to donate to Dan’s marathon run, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DanCook.