A charity motorcycle event is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, starting at 10am from Ballygowan Olivet House. Members of County Down Marshalls will ride to Ards Flying Club to raise funds and awareness for Heart Failure Warriors NI. Organised by motorcyclist Aidan Flanagan, the event charges £10 per bike with invitations extended to other bikers.

Aidan Flanagan, a 67-year-old from Downpatrick, was diagnosed with heart failure at age 46 despite a healthy lifestyle. He experienced breathlessness in December 2003 due to fluid-filled lungs and a heart rate of 260 beats per minute. Treated initially at Downe Hospital, he was transferred to City Hospital, where he received last rites but recovered.

Three years later, medication caused thyroid damage, leading to another critical hospital stay and last rites. Flanagan describes living with heart failure as 'driving a car with a cylinder off the engine,' causing tiredness and brain fog. He joined Heart Failure Warriors NI, established in May 2023, which prompted updated medication and tests after his last cardiologist visit in 2017.

The support group operates across Northern Ireland, including meetings in Ards and North Down at Londonderry Park and Leisure Facility. A CPR and defibrillator training session, led by Dr Andrew Kerr, is set for Monday, March 23, at 7pm at the same venue.

Professional biker Ryan Farquhar has indicated attendance. Donations and details are available at https://www.heartfailurewarriorsni.com/. Further information on the ride and local meetings is on the Heart Failure Warriors NI Facebook page.