A CHARITY giving hope to families has helped raise even more funds for children born with dangerous heart problems by cycling over 300 miles.

Lagan's Foundation invited any keen cyclists to help rack up the miles on static bikes in the 300 in 9 Challenge, in the latest bid to create more awareness for congenital heart defects (CHD).

Bolton Arena currently holds Lagan's Foundation as their charity of the year and played host to the event on Tuesday.

A total of 36 people took on shifts of 30 minutes to cycle 300 miles in nine hours. All who joined in donated their energy as well as £5 to the fundraising total, with other Arena members making contributions throughout the day. Once the speedy bunch saw that they had already reached the 243rd mile by lunch time, they challenged themselves to complete the task in just eight hours. By 4pm, the team had smashed through the finish line and offered up a staggering final count of 384 miles.

Bolton Arena EEG member Rob Gandy said: “The event captured the imagination of Bolton Arena staff, we had a great response for challengers.

"The 384 miles the riders achieved was a phenomenal effort. We’d like to thank everyone who took part and to all our customers for their kind donations throughout the day.”

Lagan's Foundation was created by Horwich parents Carren Bell and her partner Barry Grant, who tragically lost their baby daughter, born with CHD, at just 15 weeks old in 2011. In memory of baby Lagan, the charity raises thousands, offers home support for parents and has grown from a local to a national organisation.