Fundraising
London to Brighton Bike Ride raises over £1m for vital heart research
Published:
17 June 2024
Published:
17 June 2024
More than 12,000 cyclists pedalled their way to help us fund lifesaving research in the London to Brighton Bike Ride 2024.
On Sunday 16 June, our determined riders took on the 54 miles from Clapham Common to the Brighton seafront raising over £1 million for our groundbreaking research into new treatments and cures for heart and circulatory diseases.
Cyclists from a variety of ages and backgrounds took to the roads for this historic cycling event which has raised over £50 million over the last 47 years.
Biking for Breakthroughs
Taking on the ride this year was renowned scientist Patrick Vallance, took on our annual fundraiser with rider number 001/
Sir Patrick headed up a team of scientists including Professor Sir Jim Smith from the Francis Crick Institute and Newcastle University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Walker. The team were also joined by family members, our Interim Chair of Trustees Karen Frank, and our Executive Board member Kerry Smith.
The ‘Biking for Breakthroughs’ team, have raised nearly £28,000 to support our ground-breaking research, all have a close connection to us.
Sir Patrick Vallance benefited from our research funding early in his career, and now supports the charity in multiple ways, including as Chair of the Advisory Panel for our £30m research programme, CureHeart.
Also participating in this year’s event, was GB Olympic athlete Ellie Downie, who took part in memory of her brother Josh, who died from a sudden cardiac arrest at just 24 years old.
Our ambassador, who was recently awarded an MBE said: “The harrowing experience of losing Josh affected our family immensely and I want to do what I can to stop other families going through the same. Taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride has been part of this.
“Every week in the UK, at least 12 young people under 35 die from an undiagnosed heart condition. Seeing just how quickly someone you love can be taken away, is such a stark reminder of how precious our time in this world is. My brother Josh’s life was just beginning. I wanted to help the millions of other people and families affected by heart conditions by doing my bit for the BHF.”
Making a special delivery to Brighton was James Trenchard from Torbay.
Wanting to add to the challenge the Royal Mail postman took on the 54 mile ride on a vintage post bike with only three gears and no suspension.
James was one of 24 Royal Mail colleagues who took on the ride to raise funds for our four-year partnership with the goal of protecting heart health and saving lives across communities.
Roisin Atkinson, Senior Events Manager at the BHF, added: “It was fantastic to see the passion and determination of our riders on Sunday.
"Without the commitment of our cyclists, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.
“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part in our London to Brighton Bike Ride never fails to impress us.
"This event is one of the highlights in our events calendar and has been running for almost half a century.
"The ballot for next year’s event is now open, so we’d urge everyone to sign up to help us fund vital research to save and improve more lives.”