YORK City fans have raised more than £1,000 for a heart charity so far as they prepare for a cycle ride in memory of a football supporter who died of a heart attack.

A group of supporters is planning to cycle 150 miles to Northampton Town's Sixfields stadium before City play there next month.

The cyclists, Ian Jones, Dan Waterworth, Ben Nicholson, Adam Livingston, Tom Poole, Joe Fletcher, Craig Atkin, Ash Taylor, Nathan Brigham and James Patterson, will set off from Bootham Crescent on February 19 and plan to arrive in Northampton before the Minstermen's game against their fellow League Two side on Saturday February 21.

They decided to organise the ride after Cobblers fan David Henderson died outside the stadium following the match between the clubs in January last year. The 57-year-old was on his way home when he suffered a heart attack.

Ian Jones, 21 of Wigginton, who is leading the cycle challenge, said many of the cycle team were at the match and witnessed the tragedy, and saw a York fan who is a male nurse try in vain to save the fan by administering CPR.

"Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer and we wanted to do something positive to help,” he said.

He said many of the team had been out on the roads getting fit, and some had come a cropper in icy conditions, suffering cuts and bruises.

He said they were determined to go ahead with the ride, whatever the winter weather, although he hoped the current cold snap would be over by then He revealed they were also raising funds through a raffle, with the first prize being a Barcelona shirt signed by Lionel Messi.

Sharon Oakley, British Heart Foundation fundraising manager for York, says: “We’d like to encourage as many people as possible to support this group of supporters and their fundraising efforts.

"We are a national charity that relies on local support, supporters like Ian Jones and his friends to raise vital funds for us.

"By supporting challenges like the Ride to Northampton, or organising your own, you are helping our life-saving and life-changing work to continue."

To donate and buy raffle tickets visit justgiving.com/Ride2Northampton.