A WOMAN will cycle the width of England three times in a fundraising effort to say thank you to hospital staff who saved her husband's life.

Mel Foster, from Darlington, was rocked when her 52-year-old partner Kev suffered a heart attack after working a night shift in February.

Hospital staff rushed to help Kev and he needed a quadruple heart bypass to stand any chance of survival.

Now well on the road to recovery his wife Mel plans to cycle three Coast to Coast rides over three weekends, raising money for the South Cleveland Heart Fund and Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital.

Mel said: "The furthest I have rode would be around 10 miles but during the last 12 weeks I have increased that as during the challenge i will be riding up to 50 miles a day."

Her three routes will see her ride over 450 miles from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, Walney to Wear Sea to Sea and then Morecambe to Bridlington.

Read more: Heart attack survivor aims to break world record on a bike - then run 10K

"My first ride is on the 25th June, I will ride the original Coast to Coast from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, covering 137 miles over 3 Days," Mel explained. 

"I then plan to ride the Walney to Wear Sea to Sea Coast to Coast covering 150+ miles in August and finish with the Way of the Roses, Morecambe to Bridlington Coast to Coast covering 170 miles in September."

The Northern Echo:

Mel has enlisted the help of staff at Physique Fitness Health Club, in Darlington, who have sponsored her challenges. 

She added: "I am pleased to have a friend, Lesley Neal accompany me on my first ride and to have Kev following us to set up camp in our VW along the route.

"My biggest challenge will be the hills, not being a regular rider before deciding on this challenge I know this will be the hardest part.

"I'm determined to give it my best shot, riding locally and working on my cardio fitness will hopefully get me over those big hills.

"I'm hoping to not only raise as much money as I can but also to raise awareness about Heart Disease. 

"The past three months have changed our lives completely proving that it is not only diet and lifestyle that can affect your health but it can also be a hereditary.

"Please make sure you have health checks when they become available to you and do what you can to make the changes that can help."

Donations to Mel's fundraiser can be made at: https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/graoC1WooT41kPPiLYhgV