Monks Eleigh couple given all-clear for 3,500-mile charity road trip to India after husband's health scare

Morgan car enthusiast Alan Braithwaite has just received the all-clear from doctors, after a recent double bypass heart operation, to undertake a mammoth 3,500-mile road trip across India.

Alan, 73, and his wife Pat, from Monks Eleigh, plan to motor across the country in a 21-day trek called the Trans-India Challenge, which aims to raise £200,000 to support the country’s poorest communities.

The couple, who have three daughters and five grandchildren, will leave the UK on January 28 and aim to finish the trip in their beloved three-wheeler Morgan on March 10.

The feat, which has been three years in the planning and will involve a support car carrying luggage and spares, had to be delayed until the new year because of Alan’s health.

A year ago, he had what he calls “an episode” while waiting for a train at a London tube station and thought he was having a heart attack.

Tests revealed he had a congenital heart condition, which required an aortic valve replacement and double bypass operation.

He said: “I can’t fault Papworth Hospital. I will be eternally grateful for the NHS and the care I received.

“I was only in hospital for six days and I am getting better by the week. It’s a miracle.”

He added: “I got signed off by Papworth on Friday. They politely said they didn’t want to see me again, which was fantastic news.”

The couple have this week signed a sponsorship contract with a major clothing brand.

As well as being fascinated by India, the couple, who used to own their own business, are interested in the economic regeneration of poor communities in India, and found an organisation called Goonj, which they are supporting.

“They help people to get a hand up, rather than a handout,” said Alan.

The couple’s Morgan car will be shipped to India by Suffolk company Cars, leaving London on December 9, arriving in Mumbai six days later.