Horsham man completes London to Brighton in memory of his dad

Sam Perrin, joined 16,000 British Heart Foundation (BHF) Champions who took on the London to Brighton Bike Ride on Sunday June 16, helping the charity raise more than £2m for life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

After crossing the finish line, he said: “Taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation was a really fantastic experience. The atmosphere at the finish line was absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed every moment of the ride – even the hills!

“It was truly wonderful to have so many supporters there and the camaraderie between the riders was pretty inspiring. It feels even better knowing that the money I’ve raised will help the BHF fund vital research into preventing, diagnosing and treating heart and circulatory diseases and I’m just proud to join the charity in their mission to beat heartbreak forever.”

Sam, 27, raised £1,000 for BHF’s research into heart and circulatory conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia.

To mark Father’s Day, Sam took on the challenge in memory of his dad, who use to enjoy cycling and took part in events like the London to Brighton Bike Ride.

He suffered from a heart attack and collapsed at work at only 46 years old and since Sam has been determined to raise awareness of heart and circulatory diseases which claims the lives of 170,000 people in the UK.

The event saw tens of thousands of BHF cyclists start the 54 mile challenge in the early hours of the morning at Clapham Common. The route took participants through the south of the capital, down into the beautiful countryside of Surrey and Sussex, up to the stunning views of Burgess Hill summit and then down to Brighton’s seafront where they were met with cheering and applause from the crowds.

Roshan Teeluck, head of events at the BHF, added: “It’s great to see Sam’s determination in completing this year’s London to Brighton Bike Ride.

“The success of this event is testament to the fact that cycling is such an inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy and we’re grateful to all our BHF Champions for getting on their bikes and fundraising for our life saving research.

“Without the dedication and commitment of BHF Champions like Sam, who have helped us raise a phenomenal amount of money this year, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that will help more than seven million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases.”

This year’s London to Brighton Bike Ride marked 44 years of the BHF’s flagship cycling event. Since its inception, elite and novice riders alike have pedalled more than 41 million miles between them and raised over £70 million to help the charity and beat heartbreak forever.

Registration for next year’s event is now open. For more see www.bhf.org.uk/L2B2020

To take part in any other BHF’s bike rides, visit www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/bike-rides