A fundraising drive has been launched to help pay for urgent cancer treatment for a much-loved Bilton dad.

Matt Francis, who is 53 on Sunday, has stage 4 melanoma.

His wife, Marie, wants to educate people about the disease as part of May’s Melanoma Awareness Month.

She said: “Our world fell apart on March 28.

placeholder image — Matt with Marie and his family.

"My kind, hard-working, loyal, caring, amazing husband Matt, received the devastating news that his melanoma had metastasised and significantly spread around his body, progressing his diagnosis to stage 4 malignant melanoma.

"Matt is our world. He has been my partner in life for the last 18 years, and husband for the last 13. He is a fantastic father and step father to our amazing four children, Mikey, Luke, Oliver and Emmie and grandad to our beautiful granddaughter, Amora.”

Marie is now urging people to be cancer aware.

“Always be careful in the sun,” she said.

"Protect your skin, check your skin, and any changes, always get them checked. It may just save your life. Also, please, don't ever, refer to any form of skin cancer as ‘just’ skin cancer. Melanoma is brutal, it takes lives every single day. Please, please don't listen to or believe the ignorant misconceptions.”

The couple’s three boys Mikey, Luke and Oliver, and a group of friends climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, last week to support Matt and raise awareness.

Funds will help pay for additional treatment to work alongside traditional medicine.

Marie said: “Watching him suffer this awful disease is beyond heartbreaking, especially for our young children, myself and our close families.

"We want to do everything we possibly can to support Matt on this incredibly difficult journey. We want Matt to access alternative therapies alongside his medical ones. Medical therapies can be brutal to endure, so we want to make sure that he has everything, nutrionally, mentally and emotionally that his body needs, to be as strong as he possibly can be to fight this.”

Marie said she would like to thank everybody who has supported Matt so far.

"Every bit of help will absolutely make a huge difference to Matt's healing,” she went on.

"Myself and our children will forever be gratetful to you all.

Marie said: “I am also so immensely proud of our boys, who have given their dad the inspiration to keep fighting.”

To support the appeal, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-matt-fight-stage-4-melenoma