Courageous Sussex village vicar fights back from heart attack with 900-mile cycle ride

And this time he’s facing a gruelling 900-mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats – all in a good cause.

The Rev David Beal, 63, vicar of St Mary’s Church in Billingshurst, is tackling the mammoth ride to raise funds for a transformation project for his 12th century church. See https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-beal-1715949962280

His wife Mary said: “David survived a heart attack soon after he moved into the village seven years ago and in recent years also had a bike accident so this is a courageous act.”

She added: “The NHS put him back together and today as I look at him setting off to cycle the length of the country, living life to the full I would like to shake their hands and say: ‘look how this man is now living!’

“Cycling was a way David chose to restore his health. It allowed him to build strength and physical confidence which is quite a challenge after a heart attack.

"Then came another shock . A few years ago he was out cycling when he hit a pot hole and ended up in hospital with a damaged lung and shoulder. At this point I was highly tempted to put his bike up for sale!”

David himself says his heart attack came ‘out of the blue’. “Thanks to our brilliant NHS, I was patched up with a couple of stents and given a new lease of life. To keep myself fit, I returned to something I loved doing when I was much younger – cycling.

“I’ve done a couple of one day sponsored rides since then – but now it’s time to go big, and raise money to transform St. Mary's Church.”

David, who set off on his epic journey yesterday (Monday) plans to complete it on July 5 – averaging 75 miles a day.

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The money he raises will go towards transforming St Mary’s to become a hub for village activities with concerts, clubs, societies, festivals, arts, exhibitions, a cafe – and more.

David says: “We want to open the doors of St Mary’s Church building to share the space with the whole community.”