Two friends are taking on a 100-mile cycle ride to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation after both their fathers suffered heart attacks.

Connor Davidson from Falmouth, and Chris Matthews from Truro, but originally from Helston, will be carrying out the gruelling challenge later this month.

Connor, 21, who is currently studying at Oxford University, said: “It was in June this year when my father had a minor heart attack.

“It was 10 o’clock at night and my mum was wondering why he hadn’t come to bed. She went downstairs and found him on the floor.

“He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance where they carried out lots of tests and diagnosed a mini-heart attack. Fortunately, it didn’t do a lot of damage and he was able to come home after a couple of days.

“My dad has made a good recovery, but it was still a very stressful time. My mum is disabled and relies on support from him and the rest of the family.”

Joining Connor on the ride is Chris Matthews, 31, whose father David suffered a heart attack in August last year.

Chris Matthews said: “He was out cycling when he felt short of breath and out of sorts. He went home and even went to work for two days before my mum took him to the doctors' surgery as he still wasn't feeling right.

“He ended up being taken to our local hospital and spent several weeks there before having a bypass operation as well as surgery to repair the valves in his heart.

“My dad has always been super fit and healthy. He worked hard as a scaffolder, rarely drank, never smoked and was always out cycling. Because he was so fit, it was the worst shock in the world when he suffered a heart attack.

“To see someone who has always been so fit and looked after themselves so well sat in a hospital bed was petrifying. There were moments we feared things may have taken a turn for the worse.

“Fortunately, he has now made a good recovery, is back at work and out on his bike again.”

These experiences inspired Connor and Chris, who will be joined by three other friends, to cycle 106 miles along the Cornish coast on September 26.

Their route starts in Marazion before working its way around Lands End, all the way back to Camborne via St Ives before adding a mini-circuit of The Lizard and then back through Helston to Marazion.

Chris Matthews said: “I really got into cycling this summer. Ryan, Mikey, Connor, Liam and I have all cycled together a few times this summer, but this ride is going to be a lot longer than any of the ones we’ve done before.

"Naturally, we figured if we were going to push our bodies to the limit we may as well do it in the name of charity.

“After some discussion we decided to raise money for the BHF, and the fundraising is going pretty well so far.”

Connor added: “I took up cycling during lockdown as I was finding running a bit boring. The distance is a bit daunting, but I’ve been doing training rides and building up the distances. I think it’s going to be tough, but with the five of us doing the ride we should be able to keep each other going.”

In the UK, there are more than 100,000 hospital admissions each year are due to a heart attack – the equivalent of one every five minutes. The BHF funds over £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and their causes.

Joy Petley, fundraising manager for the BHF, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Connor, Chris and their friends, for taking on this challenge in aid of the BHF.

“Cycling is a great way to get active and raise funds. That’s why we’ve launched MyCycle – a virtual challenge that anyone with access to a bike can do.

“It allows people to take on a pace and distance that suits them, while knowing that every mile they complete will help fund life-saving research into heart and circulatory conditions.”

People can find out more information about MyCycle by visiting bhf.org.uk/mycycle or donate to Connor and Chris’ fundraising online justgiving.com/team/Thecooooastbusters