A Suffolk man used pedal power to be part of UK Power Networks raising £4,800 for the British Heart Foundation (the BHF).

Seventeen staff from Britain’s biggest electricity network operator completed the 61-mile London to Brighton off-road bike ride on Saturday (17 September) to raise money for the charity.

The team faced a challenging and scenic ride which included the Thames Cycle Track, Weybridge, Shere, the South Downs Link, Southwater Country Park and Steyning, plus the the ‘monster climb’ of Truleigh Hill with sea views towards the end of the route.

Paul Denton, from Bury St Edmunds, who completed the ride, said: “A good friend of mine has recently undergone heart surgery to rectify a faulty valve, without the continued research into heart disease this type of life sustaining surgery would not be possible.

“I really wanted to raise money for the British Heart Foundation to support research into heart health and provide care to those impacted.”

Heart and circulatory diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the UK. The BHF funds research into conditions such as heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia, as well as their risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Jake Kavaliauskas, events executive at the BHF, said: “We would like to thank all the cyclists from UK Power Networks for all their efforts in completing this ride and fundraising for us.

“For more than 60 years, the public’s generosity has helped us fund research that has turned ideas that once seemed like ‘science fiction’ into treatments that save lives every day. And because of their support we will be able to keep that vital work going and discover the lifesaving breakthroughs of the future.”