READING residents are being encouraged to take part in a charity bike ride from London to Reading.

The London to Reading Bike Ride is organised by the British Heart Foundation and sees more than 1250 cyclists take part to raise money for the charity.

In 2019, those who took on the 42 mile challenge helped raise more than £100,000 which will go towards funding life saving research.

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This includes how to better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory diseases, which are the cause of more than a quarter (27 per cent) of all deaths in the UK.

The event is in its 8th year and will take place on Saturday March 21.

The 42-mile bike ride, along a largely flat route, travels across quiet countryside roads and picturesque landscapes, making it suitable for beginners right through to any cycling enthusiasts looking for an excuse to get on the saddle.

The London to Reading Bike Ride Event Organiser at the BHF said: “Join the British Heart Foundation and put the brakes on heart and circulatory disease.

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"By challenging yourself to take on the London to Reading Bike Ride, you will be funding life saving research that will help to end the devastation caused by heart and circulatory diseases once and for all.

“Every mile you pedal will help bring us closer to the day when families aren’t torn apart by heart and circulatory conditions including stroke, heart failure, vascular dementia and coronary heart disease.

"With 15,000 people in Reading living with these conditions and around 270 people in the town losing their lives to them each year, the need for your support to fund more lifesaving breakthroughs has never been more urgent.”

Sign up and find out more here.

For further information, please contact: Emelye Ferguson fergusone@bhf.org.uk or Emily Hickey-Mason hickeymasone@bhf.org.uk.