A KEEN cyclist who loved to raise money for charity died when she fell from her racing bike during an event.

An inquest at County Hall, Kendal, heard Katherine Moore, 56, was descending a steep section of narrow road on the Wrynose Pass near Ambleside during the 'Coast to Coast in a Day' event in June.

She had passed another participant who had briefly dismounted from their own bike, but shortly afterwards the other cyclist then discovered her lying severely injured next to her badly damaged bike by a stone wall close to a bend in the road.

The inquest heard the emergency services were immediately called and the North West Air Ambulance attended, though the helicopter was forced to land some way from the scene due to the roughness and steepness of the terrain.

Medical personnel who attended the scene found she had suffered a fractured skull, a number of fractured ribs and several other injuries.

Urgent efforts were made to revive Mrs Moore, but her injuries were too severe and she was pronounced dead a short time later.

The inquest was told Mrs Moore, who was born in London and lived in the Harrow area on the north of the capital, was employed full time as a buyer for the Kodak photographic company but was also a churchgoer who also served as a eucharistic minister in the area where she lived.

She was an active and physically fit woman who was often engaged in fundraising activities for charity with her husband Anthony.

On the day of her death, fellow cyclists said she had set off in good spirits from Seascale, West Cumbria, at the start of the 'Coast to Coast in a Day' event, in which participants cycle across the country to Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast.

However, shortly after 9am as she headed eastwards on the Wrynose Pass, the incident occurred which led to her suffering multiple injuries.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, county assistant coroner Craig Smith said it was reasonable to conclude that Mrs Moore lost control of her cycle and suffered fatal injuries after colliding with a stone wall.

He offered his deepest sympathy to family members who had attended the inquest for their loss.