A Mansfield man fighting heart disease isn’t letting that stop him raising funds for charity.

Gareth Groombridge, who lives with his wife, Joanne, and is dad to stepdaughter, Annabella, and stepson, Tom, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy after he started getting symptoms, including a racing heart, five years ago.

The news followed the unexplained death of his brother, Dan, and the diagnoses of other heart issues in his family.

Despite the health problems, Gareth decided he wanted to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help fund research for families like his. He will help the charity by taking part in a 23-mile Peak District Mountain Bike Challenge on 22nd April.

Gareth, who said he had always enjoyed off-road cycling, added: “I’ve always known that blokes in our family die of heart attacks around 70, that’s just the general consensus

“But my brother unfortunately died in his sleep when he was 42, back in 2009.

“Since then we’ve all had to have tests and about five years ago I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.”

Dilated cardiomyopathy (also known as DCM) is a condition that means the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump properly.

For many people the cause is unknown. For others, their DCM is caused by a mutation to one or more of their genes.

Gareth takes heart medicine and has regular check-ups and blood pressure tests, but has been cleared by doctors to take part in sport.

“A few years ago I did a bit of weight training and messaged doctors to ask if it was OK to go to the gym. They said it was, as long as you feel alright.

“I find the training actually helps me. I always feel better when I am doing something and getting out on my bike makes me feel good. It’s nice to get out.”

Speaking about his brother, Gareth said Dan had been a “really funny bloke, larger than life and someone who would always have everyone in stitches”.

“It was awful (finding out about his death),” he added. “I was with my mum when we got the news. That’s not a sound you want to hear.”

BHF events manager Amy Grice said she was proud of Gareth for taking on the mountain bike challenge.

“I know it’s not an easy thing to do for anyone, let alone someone who has been diagnosed with a heart condition like dilated cardiomyopathy, so I want him to know how grateful we are for stepping up and getting involved to fundraise for the BHF,” she said.

“The money he raises will be used to pay for research to help families like his own, living with heart disease across the generations. Hopefully one day it won’t be the case that men in his family die of heart attacks when they hit 70 and Gareth will know that the funds he is raising will have gone a little way towards helping us reach that goal.”

Anyone with a heart condition should discuss with their GP/specialist how much and what type of exercise they can safely do. This is more important for people with conditions like DCM and people who want to significantly increase the intensity.

There still places available on BHF’s team for the Peak District Mountain Bike Challenge. To find out more and sign up, visit the BHF’s events pages at www.bhf.org.uk

People can support Gareth on his JustGiving fundraising page.