Nottinghamshire man born with hole in his heart will cycle the length of Britain for three charities

A man who underwent a pioneering procedure as a child to repair a heart defect will cycle the whole length of Great Britain in aid of charity.

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

The 30-year-old chose to support the BHF due to his personal connection to the charity. Aged five, Hamish was diagnosed with a hole in his heart – a congenital heart defect, which meant the condition developed before he was born.

“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 ailment 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.”

At seven-years-old, Hamish underwent a procedure at Southampton General Hospital in 1998 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. It 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. I suppose I just accepted that’s how life was.

“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 more 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 will set off tomorrow (Tuesday, August 24), cycling between 70 to 130 miles each day, and expects the journey to take him ten days.

“I’m feeling positive and confident — although when I look at the routes, that’s when it sinks in just how long the journey will be,” added Hamish.

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

“Raising funds for the BHF 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 the BHF’s research.”

The BHF funds life saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including congenital heart disease. Before the BHF 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 10 survive to adulthood.

Paula Scaife, BHF’s fund-raising manager for Nottinghamshire, said: “We are so grateful that Hamish has chosen the BHF as one of his good causes and wish him the best of luck for his incredible challenge.

“This year, the BHF is marking 60 years of funding pioneering research to save and improve lives. Covid-19 dealt a brutal blow to our work and caused our investment in new research to be cut in half last year. We can only fund this life saving research thanks to the generous support of people like Hamish, so in our 60th year, we urgently need more people to help us.”

Hamish also chose to support Diabetes UK as his fiancée, Blaine Cooper-Jones, has been living with Type 1 diabetes since she was five years old. He was 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

Anyone interested in fund-raising for the BHF can contact Paula Scaife by emailing scaifep@bhf.org.uk or calling 07384 818571.