A DAD who donated part of his liver to his sick daughter is saddling up to take on a 100-mile cycle ride.

Sean Watson, who grew up in Fordingbridge, will be cycling in the Prudential Ride 100 Challenge to raise money for the Children's Liver Disease Foundation on July 30, and will be joined by his friends James Keigher, Stu Rushworth and Jeff Jones.

The 100-mile cycle ride is daunting enough in itself, but for Sean it will mark a return to full fitness following major surgery and the chance to raise funds for a charity very close to his heart.

“Our daughter Annie was born with the rare liver disease, biliary atresia, which means her bile ducts were damaged and did not function properly,” explains the 31-year-old investment director and former Burgate School pupil, who now lives in Teddington.

“She had early surgery to try and correct the problem but it was unsuccessful and, by the time she was six months old, she was on the waiting list for a liver transplant. As her condition worsened, however, doctors were not optimistic that a liver would be found in time so we started to look at the possibility of a living related donor.

“I was relieved to be told that I was a match for Annie and, having passed the necessary tests, in September 2015 I donated a part of my liver. This time surgery was successful and I’m happy to say that Annie is now a lively, happy two-year-old. My partner, Sophie, and I feel so lucky to have her here living life to the full and really wanted to give something back to CLDF. They were there with information about her condition when we needed it and we want to ensure they are there to support Annie as she grows up. They also fund vital research into childhood liver disease, which is very important to us.

“I’ve always enjoyed sport but had to stop for some time while I recovered from surgery. I thought that training for the Ride 100 would be a good way of getting fit again whilst at the same time raising money for a charity which now means so much to us. I have really enjoyed the training and am now looking forward to the big day itself. I have persuaded three of my friends – James, Stu and Jeff - to do it with me and between us we are hoping to raise £2,725.”

To support Sean’s Ride 100 challenge go to justgiving.com/fundraising/lycraforlivers.