On your marks for London to Brighton 2009!

For the first time ever, we're pleased to announce that this year you'll be able to register online for the nation's favourite charity cycling event, our own London to Brighton Bike Ride which takes place on Sunday 21 June.

Entrants to most other BHF bike rides have enjoyed online registration facilities for several years, but with around 27,000 participants in London to Brighton it's a much bigger undertaking than our other smaller, regionally-based events.

A number of L2B entrants who have qualified for priority places in this year's ride - by raising £125 or more in last year's event - have been using the new online registration system successfully since last month.

Standard place online registration starts from 1 March and you will be able to access it then at
bhf.org.uk/london-brighton

Find out more about the ride, how you can enter offline, plus see videos, photos and reports from the 2008 event, in our London to Brighton Bike Ride section

Have you ever taken part in the ride, and would you like to recommend anyone else to do it?
Do you have any training tips or fundraising advice etc?
If so, please leave a comment below...

Bloggers bare all in debate on our sex and swimming poster

Our inclusion (and others) in the Top 10 Most Complained About Adverts of 2007 - as compiled by the Advertising Standards Authority in its latest annual report and blogged here yesterday - has stirred some vigorous debate over on Guardian Unlimited.

As we posted yesterday, our sex and swimming advert - to promote the exercise message of our 30 a Day campaign last year - attracted 122 complaints from the public, taking it to number 7 in the Top 10 list and sparking much debate.

"Who actually wastes their life complaining about adverts? Seriously, how could anyone be offended by the British Heart Foundation ad above? Religious types can choose to believe that the couple above are married if they are worried about adultery or something," posts 'RightWingGit' on the Guardian's Comment Is Free blog

"The British Heart Foundation ad is great: natural, warm and normal," writes 'dholliday'.

And 'Dotterel' adds: "I don't see the problem with the BHF one, surely objecting to that is a bit like objecting to an ad encouraging running in case someone goes running through a dodgy neighbourhood in the dark and gets mugged?

"If it was the blokes bare a*** there are far worse examples to get worked up about, unless it was the fact it was a blokes? I also have to admit to being a bit old fashioned and assuming the couple on the BHF ad were married!"

Perhaps the last word goes to 'hyperchild': "I remember the British Heart Foundation ad campaign because I found it so ridiculous. While displaying a very lovely warm image of an older couple, its message is quite patronising.

"Instructing people to have sex for the sake of getting exercise, wtf? a) Not all people have sex in the same way (sex isn't just confined to one act anyway) and b)sex isn't just continuous motion. Thus it's not a replacement for actial aerobic exercise - walking, running, cycling - which your heart needs. Being instructed to have sex by a charity-sponsored billboard is just wrong."

Join the debate and have your say on the Most Complained About Adverts of 2007