A BRIGHTON woman is fronting a British Heart Foundation campaign to promote the charity’s calendar of challenge events which helps to fund lifesaving research into heart disease.

Deborah Malin, 61, is supporting the charity after being one of 50,000 people to sign up to do a challenge event for the BHF last year, raising a total of £9million.

Deborah became a BHF champion by successfully completing the London to Brighton Bike Ride ten times since 2007 in memory of her father who suddenly passed away from a heart attack in 2001.

Deborah’s father Tony died unexpectedly when he was 58 and Deborah was just 25.

There are nearly 200,000 hospital visits each year due to heart attacks - that’s one every three minutes.

The BHF’s London to Brighton Bike Ride, which is Europe’s oldest charity bike ride, is one of a calendar of more than 70 events taking place across the UK this year, including runs, treks, swims and cycle rides.

Deborah is now encouraging others to become a champion for the BHF by taking on a similar challenge. Go to www.bhf.org.uk/events