Winsford dad Matty taking on the London Marathon for charity

Matty Armstrong, from Winsford, and his three daughters help to support his wife Emma, who lost her hearing at the age of three after contracting meningitis.

But despite facing struggles in her childhood and as an adult, Emma, aged 35, has achieved two degrees, in teaching and English literature, and now teaches SEN students at Petty Pool College.

And, next spring, an inspired Matty will be taking on the London Marathon for the National Deaf Children's Society, which helps deaf children and young people, and their families.   

The 42-year-old said: "The stories Emma has told me over the years about growing up with her disability genuinely breaks my heart.

"And just recently, we went to the pharmacist to pick up my daughter's prescription.

Matty Armstrong (Image: Supplied) "The fire alarm went off, I was outside and had to rush in because Emma couldn’t hear it, and she was sat all on her own, and I just thought if I wasn’t there. Things like this breaks my heart."

Matty has never done a marathon before and is already training hard for the race on April 17, 2025.

He added: "I was inspired by last year’s London Marathon. I saw someone was running for charity and I thought I’d love to do something like that.

"It’s something selfless and I’ve always been interested in fitness.

"It's always something I’ve thought of doing, I’ve never really done it and stepped out of my comfort zone. It helps because everyone is involved in the cause."

Some of Emma's hand-made Christmas decorations (Image: Supplied) Matty has so far raised £240 towards the £2,000 target he needs to raise for the National Deaf Children's Society.

To help, Emma has turned to creating hand-made Christmas decorations and selling them at local markets, raising £60 earlier this month.

The 35-year-old's next stall will be at the Red Lion pub in Winsford this Sunday (December 1), where she will sell a range of her Christmas crafts.

To donate, Matty's fundraising page can be found here.