A father of two from Headcorn is setting off on a charity challenge after suffering a heart attack last September.

Paul Turpin will be pedalling in Nightrider London on Saturday, June 10 to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

It comes after the 44-year-old woke one morning last September with severe chest pains.

Although tests didn’t suggest anything of obvious concern, Mr Turpin later found out he’d had a heart attack.

After having two stents inserted into his arteries, he has made many changes to how he goes about his everyday life.

Mr Turpin, of Mill Bank, said: “When the doctor told me I’d had a heart attack I fell apart for the first minute or so.

“I thought ‘what the hell? I wasn’t expecting this at all’.

“The hardest part of moving on with my life has been to find a new way of coping with the pressures of my job so I don’t cause myself too much stress.

“Six months on and physically I have lost two stone and I feel good, but mentally it’s challenging. It’s no longer an option for me to take on the stress or lead the lifestyle I used to do now I’m living with heart disease.”

Now, Mr Turpin, who is a director for PTAL Architects in London, is gearing up for the 50km ride around London with his partner, Kathleen Pratt.

He said: “I’ve been training at the weekends and taking my children out on the bikes along country lanes in Kent, which has been really nice.

“I’m cycling about 13 miles at the moment and am really looking forward to the main event.”

Now in its eighth year, Nightrider London sees participants pass by many of the capital’s famous landmarks on either a 50km or 100km route, starting from Lee Valley VeloPark.

To sign up for Nightrider, go to nightrider.org.uk, or to donate to Mr Turpin’s challenge, click here.