An inspiring Ruislip man, who survived two strokes last year, has raised thousands of pounds for the hospital that helped him.

Father-of-three Ian Partridge described himself as a "ticking-time bomb" as doctors discovered holes in his heart.

The defects, which had been undetected since his birth, were causing the strokes.

He said: “Last year before my 46th birthday I had my first stroke and then I had another stroke in October.

“I was quite healthy, I used to be a runner and had been going to a gym for about 20 years.”

Mr Partridge, 47, who is a keen football fan, wants to spread the word that it can happen to anyone.

“One in six of the adult population have a hole in the heart, which starts in the womb but doesn't always heal up at birth," he added.

“I was in Hillingdon Hospital for both of my strokes.

"You hear nasty things about hospitals and how under-resourced the NHS is but I must admit, they really did help me overwhelmingly.

"If people like that didn't exist, "I'd be a little bit stuck.”

To 'give back' to those who helped him, Mr Partridge organised a summer dinner and disco event on Saturday 15th August at Wealdstone Football Club in Ruislip.

He said: “I committed myself to raise money for both Hillingdon Hospital and a national charity Different Strokes, so I can also get the support of national football teams.

“They are people who are dedicated to making you better so I thought I'd do everything I could to help them.”

Mr Partridge, who worked as a self-employed IT consultant for six years before the strokes, still visits the hospital for regular physiotherapy appointments.

The event included a sit-down meal and entry into a very generous raffle with around 70 prizes to win.

There was also a silent auction on the night including signed football goodies from a variety of teams including Arsenal, West Brom, Man Utd and Liverpool.

The night was a success and Mr Partridge was pleased to have raised “more than he expected” with the final figure totalling more than £5,000 and £1,300 from the football merchandise alone.

Speaking after the event, Mr Partidge said: “It feels really good to hand it on and hopefully make a difference. If I’m honest I really don’t mind how they spend it, as the people there really do deserve it, and maybe they can buy some new equipment.

“I want the people at the hospital to have it, I just wish I could’ve raised more money but it’s better than nothing.”

"It doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’m writing a book, which I told you about and hopefully they’ll get some money from that, if I get published. In future I hope I can raise some more money for them."

A spokeswoman for Hillingdon Hospital says staff are “delighted” to receive such a generous donation from Mr Partridge.

She said: “We would like to say thank you for all his fantastic fundraising efforts. "We are incredibly grateful for his support and donations like this are used to improve facilities and go towards providing the best possible care for our patients.”