THE chairman of a heart patient support group has been welcomed back after undergoing a major operation.

Guisborough town councillor Malcolm Griffiths, the chairman of the Take Heart Support Group, was admitted to hospital for a triple heart bypass and valve replacement operation.

Mr Griffiths, 60, went to Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital for surgery and amazed his wife, Joan, by being up and about within days of the operation.

A spokesman from the group said: "Malcolm is an example of positive-thinking, which is vital after cardiac surgery."

The group holds 14 classes every week at nine Teesside venues.