BURNHAM based company director Stuart Baldwin and two of his team are taking part in the Big Heart Costa Rica Bike Ride - cycling 360 km coast to coast across Costa Rica to raise money for the charity HEART UK.

The Big Heart Bike Ride takes place from November 23 until December 2.

Mr Baldwin, who is a director of the optical lens company Associated Optical in Gore Road, signed up for the Big Heart Bike Ride India in 2014 but pulled out due to the birth of his daughter.

But he said: “My original motivation to complete the challenge never really left me, so I needed little persuasion to sign up to Cycle Costa Rica when it appeared in my Facebook feed.”

He will be joined by two members of his work team Nick Hamlett and Ian Hughes.

Mr Hamlett lost a close friend to a fatal heart attack and was touched by the support HEART UK gave the family.

The charity is pressing the Government to fund better screening of people at risk of high cholesterol disease.