A single dad who was forced to raise his son on his own has set up a charity to help fellow struggling fathers.

Billy McGranaghan looked after son Sam after his mother left 18 years ago and has used his own tough experiences to set up Dads House, a charity which aims to help fathers who find themselves in a similar predicament.

One of the charity's first projects is Hostels for Fathers and Families (HOFF), and Billy is currently looking for a property in Chiswick to base his first hostel.

"Fathers can find themselves looking after children for many reasons, including divorce, abandonment, bereavement or the sickness of the children's mother," said Billy, 44. "Like single mothers, single fathers find that life can be very tough. Finding somewhere to live with their children is usually the first obstacle they need to get over."

He said HOFF is in talks with several of housing associations to find suitable sites. The hostels would operate as a drop in centre, creche and contact point for families to help them through particularly hard times. They would also accommodate some dads until they were able to move into their own homes.

"It's not just the dads who are looking after a child on their own we want to help," said Billy. "It's the fathers who have split up with their partner and had to move out of the family home, away from their child, often being housed miles away from them. I think a lot of crime is committed by young people living with a single mum, and they could be helped by having their dad close by for extra support."

Official statistics for the UK show that in 2005 there were 1.9 million single parents, but just one in nine were fathers.

The charity is holding an all-star fundraising evening at The George IV Headliners Club, 185 Chiswick High Road on Monday, September 22. The event will be hosted by former international cricketer, Ed Giddins and tickets are s30 per person.

To find out more about Dads House or for tickets visit dadshouse.co.uk or ring Billy on 07765 183504.