Three-year-old Pixie has stolen the hearts of her community and inspired Olympic gold medal hopeful cyclist Josh Tarling with her pedal power.

Pixie Roberts was six months old when she had open heart surgery for her rare heart condition.

The sudden surgery caught parents Sam and Rhydian Roberts off-guard, stranding them at a hospital in Bristol 115 miles away from their Llanarth home.

The pair were put up for free by Ronald MacDonald House, which accommodates families to stay close to loved ones going through medical treatments.

To give back, Pixie decided to raise money by cycling the equivalent distance from Swansea hospital where she was born, to Bristol- 82.2 miles.

Rhydian, a self-employed roofer, said: “We always knew she’d need surgery... Five days before her surgery she took a bad turn.

“Suddenly, the emergency buzzer was pressed, and the room filled with medics.

“We thought we were going to lose her.”

Sam said: “The house team made everything so easy for us.

“It was homely and comfortable.

“There was an unlimited supply of tea and coffee and even donations of food from kind supporters of the Charity.

“It was brilliant; we didn’t have to think about anything.

“Most importantly, it meant we were just around the corner from Pixie.”

When they were discussing how to give back, Pixie piped up with the cycling idea, said Rhydian: “Despite Pixie not owning a bicycle we thought it was a fantastic idea.

“We took her to a local bike shop and she’s now chipping away at her challenge around the cycle routes of Ceredigion, all while learning to ride!” Pixie and her supportive parents have already overshot their £500 target, raising £2,379 so far, with the support of her Llanarth community.

Josh Tarling has enjoyed a standout first year with his team Ineos Grenadiers. He is the British elite time trial champion for 2023
Josh Tarling has enjoyed a standout first year with his team Ineos Grenadiers (Submitted)

Even professional cyclist Josh Tarling from INEOS Grenadiers has shown his support.

The 20-year-old from Aberaeron attended school with Rhydian’s son and when he heard about Pixie’s challenge, he wrote her a letter with cycling tips.

Rhydian said: “The support of our local community has been phenomenal; we can’t thank everyone enough.

“We nearly lost Pixie three years ago, so while not putting her under pressure, we’re 100 per cent behind her challenge and don’t want anything to hold her back.

“The challenge has no definite end date but we know our girl’s sheer strength and determination will help her complete it, and we couldn’t be prouder parents.”

Donate on her JustGiving page.