Group of cyclists from Lancashire raise almost Â£4,000 for five charities

The team, Vicki Moretti, Dave Heaton, Bev Winnemore, Sarah Graziani, Steve Apps, John Mears, Dharmesh Mali and 11-year-old Ben Winnemore

A group, which included a dad who had a triple heart bypass, have raised almost Â£4,000 for various charities by cycling 170 miles.

The team of eight took part in the Way of the Roses challenge - a bike ride from Morecambe to Bridlington, in aid of five charities.

Among those were Dharmesh Mali, John Mears and Steve Apps, who raised Â£1,700 for Heartbeat, the North West cardiac rehabilitation centre based in Preston.

The challenge was particularly poignant for father-of-two Dharmesh, of Penwortham, who received great support from Heartbeat following his triple heart bypass three years ago.

The 51-year-old said: “This group of cyclists has done a number of coast to coast rides over the years for some amazing causes. Each charity has had a direct impact on someone in our group or very close to it.

“This time is no different, as three years ago I had a triple heart bypass and I don’t think that I could have recovered without the support of my family and friends and Heartbeat which provides me and 800 other people, cardiac rehabilitation on a weekly basis.

“Heartbeat is solely funded by its own fund-raising activities and the generous donations of its supporters which is why I have chosen to undertake this challenge and raise the much-needed funds for them.”

Lisa Riding, Heartbeat fund-raiser, said: “We would like to thank Dharmesh, John and Steve for taking part in this huge challenge in aid of Heartbeat. They raised an outstanding Â£1,700.”

The other team members were: Sarah Graziani, who raised Â£692 for MS Society; Vicki Moretti, who raised Â£400 for Cystic Fibrosis Trust; Bev and her 11-year-old son Ben Winnemore, who raised Â£492 for The Christie Hospital and Dave Heaton, who raised Â£560 for Reverse Rett (a charity which funds treatments for Rett Syndrome).