A man from Codicote has marked a birthday milestone by walking 80 miles and raising more than £2,000 in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Rather than receive presents, Malcolm Gough decided to celebrate his 80th by walking 80 miles in order to raise money for the national charity.

Malcolm said: “I wanted to do something special for my birthday as it’s a bit of a milestone. Walking is one my hobbies, so the idea grew from there.

“The plan was to carry out these walks with friends and family, but due to lockdown measures, they sadly couldn’t join us.

“So, my wife and I would walk most days and we’d do an average of four miles. We tried to stick to walk two days in a row and then have a day off. When you get to my age walking is tiring

“I thought I might raise a few hundred pounds, so to raise over £2,000 is really humbling.”

In total Malcolm raised £2,500, which will go towards the BHF’s lifesaving funding projects.

He added: “Research has created the medical advances from which I have benefitted, and that’s why I’m so delighted that so many people have been kind enough to support my fundraising.

“We’re very fortunate in where we live as we’re right next to open countryside and we were able to devise lots of different routes to keep it interesting.

“We saw nature changing day by day and there was some wonderful weather. And walking outside really does help your fitness and mental wellbeing.”

Nichola Whymark, area fundraising manager for the BHF, said: “We’re so grateful to Malcolm for taking on his walking challenge.

“During these difficult times we are all going through, it is inspiring to see people find ways to raise money for causes close to their heart.

“Malcolm’s energy and enthusiasm is helping us beat heartbreak forever, and we would like to say a huge thank you for to him for his support.”

There are around 7.4 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK. Heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

The BHF is the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory disease research in the UK.