A BRENTWOOD man took part in a 68 mile bike ride in honour of his friend’s little girl, who is awaiting a heart transplant.

Jamie Foster took part in the Big Sussex Bike Ride on behalf of Great Ormond Street Children’s Charity, while his friend’s daughter Rosie is being treated at the London based hospital.

Rosie has Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition, and has been fitted with a Berlin Heart, which helps blood flow, while she waits for a transplant.

Speaking after the bike ride, where he joined almost 500 other cyclists and celebrity Davina McCall through the Sussex hills, Mr Foster explained why he wants to help Rosie.

He said: “I took on this challenge because I wanted to give something back to the hospital that is treating Rosie.

“It was a great day for a great charity who were there to support us at the finish line.

“I loved taking part and raising money for such a great cause.”

Alison Rulton, Senior Fundraising Manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity gave Mr Foster a heart-warming thank you for his efforts.

She said: “We’re really grateful to Jamie for taking part in this exciting new challenge for the charity. “The money he has raised will help us to make a big difference to seriously ill children.”

For the first time the event, now in its sixth year and run by children’s charity Action Medical Research, opened up places for supporters of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

The event celebrates working in partnership with the charity to jointly fund over £2m of ground-breaking research that will make a difference to the lives of thousands of seriously ill children across the UK.