A KIND-hearted businessman will be hitting streets of the nation’s capital this month to raise cash for two charities.

Lee Eldridge will be tackling the London Marathon on April in aid of Treloar School and College and Breathing Matters, which supports research into pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis and pneumonia.

The runner, who runs a wealth management company (Chase Buchanan) that operates both in the UK and overseas, is keen to inspire his staff to raise funds for good causes. At the end of each year, he and his wife anonymously donate money or buy items to support those good causes near to their home on the Surrey/Hampshire border.

This time, Mr Eldridge decided, along with one of his country managers, Andrew Lumley-Holmes, to run a half-marathon in Paphos, Cyprus, which they did at the end of last year, followed by two full marathons.

The first – the Limassol Marathon in Cyprus ­– was in March, and the intrepid duo successfully completed the run in preparation for the London Marathon.

Together, the three races will mean they have clocked up a marathon distance of 105k for their two charities.

The duo will be joined for the London Marathon by fellow country manager Ian Woodock and are hoping to complete the 26.2-mile course in four hours.

As they take to the streets of the capital they will be sporting specially designed T-shirts bearing the words ‘To those who continue to encourage and inspire’.

According to Mr Eldridge, he has chosen to support Breathing Matters because his mum was diagnosed with a breathing-related condition last year and he wants “to help the charity that offers much-needed support to the sufferers and their families as well as continued research into the disease”.

And he is backing Treloar’s because “I want to be able to help the children to continue to learn and I find them a great inspiration”.

“Moreover, I believe in giving back to the communities in which I live and also encourage business owners and cooperates to do the same,” he said.

The money the runners raise, in the main through corporate sponsorship, will be split evenly between the two charities.