Scarrington man who had procedure to repair heart defect to cycle length of Great Britain in aid of British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Mind

A man who had a pioneering procedure as a child to repair a heart defect is cycling the length of Great Britain in aid of charity.

Hamish Dickinson, of Scarrington, will embark on the 1,000-mile journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End for three good causes — the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Mind.

The 30-year-old chose to support the heart foundation because of his personal connection to the charity.

Aged five, Hamish was diagnosed with a hole in his heart, a congenital heart defect.

“Before I was diagnosed, my mum [Harriet Dickinson] would take me back and forth to the doctors as I was always unwell,” said Hamish.

“My skin would sometimes go blue, or I was sick or would go cold. The doctors suspected it was the flu or even a reaction to the food I ate, but no treatment would work.

“My grandad [Richard Perks] was a doctor and he was the first to suspect I had a hole in my heart. Mum told her GP and that’s when I was booked in for a scan, which revealed a pretty large hole in the wall that divides the upper chambers of my heart.”

In 1998, aged seven, Hamish underwent a procedure at Southampton General Hospital to fit a device known as an angel wings. The foldable fabric-and-metal device was inserted via a catheter to plug the hole in his heart and meant Hamish did not require open heart surgery, and was only in hospital for three days.

Hamish, a self-employed sound engineer, said: “It made a huge difference to my life. Before the procedure, I would struggle at sports. An hour session of football or rugby would be half an hour for me as I would get tired and out of breath easily.

“My mum said when I left hospital, I was practically a new child. I was full of energy and found a real love of cycling.”

It is believed Hamish is one of only a small number of people in the UK to have ever received this treatment.

He was fitted with the device as part of a clinical trial, but it is understood further trials were abandoned as other treatments for hole in the heart were developed and favoured.

Hamish has dreamed of cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End since he was 14 and believes now is the right time to take on the epic challenge.

He set off on Tuesday and plans to cycle 70 to 130 miles each day.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long, but life has got in the way,” Hamish said. “With lockdown, it gave me time to think and I’m now more determined than ever to complete it.

“Raising funds for the British Heart Foundation will mean everything to me. The charity has not only supported me, but close friends and relatives have also been impacted by heart conditions that have benefited from its research.”

The British Heart Foundation pays for life-saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases.

Before the foundation existed, the majority of babies diagnosed with a severe heart defect in the UK did not survive to their first birthday. Today, thanks to research, around eight out of ten survive to adulthood.

Paula Scaife, fundraising manager for Nottinghamshire, said: “We are so grateful that Hamish has chosen the British Heart Foundation as one of his good causes and wish him the best of luck for his incredible challenge.”

Hamish also chose to support Diabetes UK as his fiancé, Blaine Cooper-Jones has been living with type one diabetes since the age of five.

He was also inspired to support Mind after being diagnosed with anxiety and depression eight years ago.

To donate to Hamish’s challenge, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HamishDickinson