My Dad’s ticker sadly gave up in February 2018, after almost 90 years. He spent over a third of his life living with heart problems, suffering his first heart attack in his late fifties, followed by a raft of later problems, ranging from angina, further heart attacks, strokes, and lots more in between. He spent the last 10+ years fitted with an ICD (Internal Cardioverter Defibrillator) which frankly kept him going like a cat with nine lives! (This same device has since been fitted to the likes of footballers Fabrice Muamba and Christian Eriksen).

My Mum is thankfully still with us, but she has not escaped her own heart problems, having undergone heart by-pass surgery several years ago. She suffered a stroke during the operation, but has lived to tell the tale, albeit not without side effects. The history of heart problems in the family is not to be underestimated!

Having cycled the London to Brighton in my teens, I felt it was time to do it again. This time, to put something back into the great work that the British Heart Foundation do, who I suspect have indirectly contributed to the longevity of both my parents. I am also due a landmark birthday this year, so why not use that as extra motivation, aiding my longer-term aspiration to steer away from the road that both my parents took!

There are many other equally deserving causes out there, now more than ever, but if you do want to sponsor me, that would be fantastic and make it all feel just that little bit more worthwhile, either way there’s no pressure.

Thanks for visiting my page, I'd be so grateful for your support. The BHF has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK but sadly every day hundreds of people lose their lives. It's only thanks to support from people like us that the BHF can create new treatments and discover new cures. £24 could pay for two hours of research by an early career scientist, but every pound helps so please give what you can to help me hit my target.

Thanks!