A RUNNING group has given £1,000 to a hospital charity after a member was saved by staff when he had a heart attack.

Chipping Sodbury's the Hogweed Trotters has raised £1,000 for the University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust.

The decision to support the organisation came after two of the club's members were saved by staff at the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI)last year.

Will Gray, a member of the running group, had a heart attack in 2018 shortly after taking on the Cotswold Relay run on June 29.

“I knew something was wrong from the start, however although common sense dictated otherwise, I pressed on," he said.

“At the finish, when I should have been throwing everything into the race, I was reduced to a walk.

"My first heart attack happened shortly afterwards, and the second swiftly after that.

“I was then rushed to the BHI where two stents were fitted and the recovery started immediately.

“I was discharged on July 7 and, after three months of rehab, I ran my first competitive team event – and we won."

Will added: “The fact that I was able to get back into racing and normal life so relatively soon after my ‘event’ is testament to the skill and care I received at the BHI – I was very lucky to have a hospital of its high calibre in the vicinity.”

Hogweed Trotters member Roxy Oram, who works at the BHI, was the one who suggested that the club raise money for the hospital's charity, Above & Beyond.