Friends and family of Wayne Pope got back into the saddle this weekend for the seventh year in a row to raise funds for life-saving equipment.

The 46 riders dressed in bright orange T-shirts set out from Garston at 10am last Sunday (August 6) for the 20-mile ride which stopped off for refreshments at The Compasses in Abbots Langley before returning to Garston.

Wayne died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) in 2005, 10 days after his 30th birthday and every year since then friends and supporters have marked the occasions with a fundraising bike ride.

His brother Glynn Pope, 32, said in the last seven years Wayne’s Fund has donated £55,500 worth of defibrillators and other medical equipment to schools and clubs.

Mr Pope, of Abbots Langley, said: "We raised £900 of donations on the day and we are still waiting for people’s sponsorship to come in.

"We are hoping to raise enough for two more defibrillators which cost around £1,500 each.

"We were all really worried about the weather and were hoping it was going to hold out but in the end we had a lovely day.

"We had two people fall off their bikes but fortunately nobody was seriously hurt and we powered through it with fewer falls than the Olympic cycling road race.

"We had a half way stop in Abbots Langley where we met Steven Hurrell from the Aero Medical Ambulance Service did a demonstration for us and pub regulars about how to use a defibrillator."

Mr Pope said the anniversary of his brother’s death is always a painful one but the loss is eased by the knowledge that the equipment they provide is making a difference.

He said: "It’s an emotional day and the family didn’t sleep at all well the night before but it is fantastic to see the positive that has come out of this."

Among the 46 riders was Anthony Taylor, head of history and year 10 at Francis Combe Academy, whose heart was restarted by one of the donated machines.

Colleagues acted quickly to use the school’s ‘Wayne’s Fund’ defibrillator on Mr Taylor in November 2010 after he collapsed onto a chair while going to collect some books.

The teacher is understood to have been so keen to take part in the cycle and raise funds that he moved a family holiday back.

Mr Hurrell said: "They had a quick demo on the machine with a dummy which everybody seemed to be interested in and a few questions were asked.

"A defibrillator is a critical piece of kit because you never know when or where somebody is going to have a heart attack.

"If it’s on site and that happens it could save a life."