Hundreds of motorcyclists gather in ride to fundraise for Chichester girl’s lifesaving surgery

More than 200 riders joined the mass ride out in support of Minnie’s Broken Heart, a campaign to help fund nearly £150,000 to send a young girl to the United States for heart surgery.

Minnie, 6, was born with Ebstein's Anomaly, which causes the right side of her heart not to function properly. Her first and best chance at something like a normal life is an elaborate operation called a Cone Procedure. Early efforts to secure the surgery in the UK fell short, after cardiologists told Minnie’s family that her condition was effectively inoperable, too sensitive for the procedure to work. That all changed on Boxing Day last year, when American surgeon Dr Da Silva, who invented the Cone Procedure, announced he was willing to operate.

Jesse and Minnie's mother, Charlotte, have also launched a campaign to raise £140,000 to send Minnie to a specialist centre at the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

So far, £75,000 has been raised from 2,300 donations.