ATHLETE Kirstin Bailey is to set up a charity in memory of her fianc who died 24 hours after running in a British Championship Fell Race.

John Taylor, 33, a member of the Bingley Harriers club, collapsed with heart failure in the early hours of Monday morning and Kirstin desperately tried to revive him before paramedics arrived.

"At first I thought he was having a nightmare, but he fell out of bed and I realised something was seriously wrong.

"I called the ambulance and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until they arrived," Kirstin said.

Paramedics spent over 40 minutes trying to revive him, but medical checks later revealed that he had an enlarged heart.

"Although he has run for England and Great Britain he had never had any checks which showed that he could be at risk.

"If he had known he would at least have been able to make a choice about whether to continue running, but John didn't have that choice," Kirstin said.

John and Kirstin met through a shared passion for running and in May shared a unique double when they became Yorkshire's men and women's fell running champions. They also became engaged and planned to marry next year.

Together with friends from the Bingley club she is to set up the 'John Taylor Foundation' which will be dedicated to helping young athletes, particularly making sure they have health checks.

"John was always interested in helping young people get involved in sport and as a couple we would 'talent spot' young runners.

"He thought there was a shortage of young people coming into the sport - we used to talk about it for hours. He was also so looking forward to having children of his own.

"Now I want to make sure that the Foundation grows into something as big as possible to help young people involved in the sport," she said.

John had been a top runner on the fells for years and had gained England vests in every age group. He had been at the top for more than 20 years.

He was third junior for England in the World Trophy back in 1986 and was also a top duathlete taking part in running/cycling events before dropping out of cycling competitions to concentrate on fell running where he gained international recognition.

Last month he won the Ingleborough fell race and followed up with a win at Kentmere in the Lake District the following day. Last Saturday he helped the Bingley club to victory in Wales to give them a share of the British Fell Running title.

Kirstin, 30, who lived in Keighley until moving to Addingham studied part time for a degree and recently qualified as a teacher.

"I've been offered a job to start in September, but I don't know what I will be doing now. I want to be able to work hard to make the Foundation something really big," she said.

A funeral service is to take place today at Huddersfield Crematorium at 2.30pm with friends meeting afterwards at Bradley Park Golf Club where John was a greenkeeper.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the John Taylor Foundation via the undertakers: Ernest Bedford & Co, Clayton West, Huddersfield.