GRAHAM Carter enjoyed a Father's Day to remember when he joined his daughter and 16,000 others in biking 54 miles in aid of charity.

The Adver columnist, 54, and daughter Holly, 24, were part of the team of British Heart Foundation (BHF) Champions who tackled the London to Brighton Bike Ride. The effort saw the charity raise more than £2 million for research into heart and circulatory disease.

The Carters were riding for Graham’s brother Ron Carter, who had a successful heart transplant 11 years ago.

After reaching the end of the gruelling challenge, Graham said: “The atmosphere at the finish line was absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed every moment of the ride – even the hills!

“There was an added incentive as my oldest brother had a heart transplant, so it was appropriate that the event is run by the British Heart Foundation. Another brother also had heart surgery, so it’s easy to see why we think the work of the BHF is important.

He added: “Holly has her own health issues, being Type 1 Diabetic and is also taking part in the Ride London 100 in August to raise money for Diabetes UK, but also to show that diabetics can complete difficult physical challenges like these rides."

This year's London to Brighton Bike Ride marked 44 years of the BHF’s flagship cycling event. During tha time, riders have pedalled more than 41 million miles between them and raised in excess of £70 million to help the charity.

Roshan Teeluck, head of events at the BHF, said: “The success of this event is testament to the fact that cycling is such an inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy and we’re grateful to all our BHF champions for getting on their bikes and fundraising for our life-saving research.

“Without the dedication and commitment of the BHF Champions like Graham and Holly, who have helped us raise a phenomenal amount of money this year, we wouldn’t be able to fund research."

Registration for next years event is now open, to find out more visit: www.bhf.org.uk/L2B2020