Tag: British Heart Foundation

Charity search for local community heart heroes


Entries to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Hero Awards 2020 are now open and the charity is asking people to nominate their local heart hero.

The awards recognise the different ways people are helping beat heartbreak from heart and circulatory diseases. This could be through fundraising, volunteering or helping patients and their families.

This year there are three categories: Healthcare Hero, Young Heart Hero and the Inspiration Award.

The Healthcare Hero award will recognise a doctor, nurse, or person working in a healthcare setting who has made a special effort to make a difference to the life of a heart patient or their family.

The Young Heart Hero award will go to an exceptional person under the age of 18 years who has done something remarkable for the BHF, perhaps overcoming personal challenges.

The Inspiration award will recognise a person who inspires others through their determination and dedication. That could be through their fundraising efforts, taking part in a physical challenge, organising an event, or volunteering activities.

Nominations are open until Saturday 29 February at bhf.org.uk/heartheroes.

The winners will be announced at a very special gala awards dinner in London in September 2020.

The 2019 award winners included Team Chris Murray from Glasgow, who took part in the BHF’s 100km Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek. Chris Murray, who had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was just 22 when he died in 2017. Around 30 family and friends took on the BHF’s 100km Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek in his memory, raising more than £15,000 to fund life saving research.

David McColgan, Acting Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Heart and circulatory diseases affect the lives of thousands of families across Scotland, often in devastating ways. Yet there are so many ordinary people who, when confronted with that challenge, are doing extraordinary things.

“The BHF’s Heart Hero Awards recognise and celebrate the efforts of those who are working selflessly to make life better for other people, like the Murray family and their friends.

“If you know someone who is making a difference, please put them forward for an award so that their contribution can be recognised.”

https://www.bhf.org.uk/heartheroes

Letters: British Heart Foundation patient engagement day

Dear Editor,

Are you living with Heart disease, or do you care for someone who is? If so, the British Heart Foundation Scotland (BHF) wants to hear from you.

We are at a crossroads in our national approach to heart disease. BHF Scotland believes the time is right to have a conversation about what national priorities for these conditions should be in the future.

BHF Scotland is holding a patient engagement day to gather information, opinions and experiences from people living with heart disease to help shape our ideas about what national priorities should be.

If you are interested in attending our event to find out more and share your experiences then please contact:

Kylie Strachan
Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer
British Heart Foundation Scotland
The Cube
43a Leith Street
Edinburgh EH1 3AT

Email: barclayk@bhf.org.uk
Telephone: 0131 561 3362 | Ext: 3362

Over a quarter of Scots say they would not attempt CPR to save a life

More than a quarter of adults (26%) in Scotland wouldn’t perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if they saw someone suffer a cardiac arrest, according to the latest statistics from the British Heart Foundation.

Continue reading Over a quarter of Scots say they would not attempt CPR to save a life

Heart patients to benefit from £400,000 BHF grant for state-of-the-art scanning

Cardiology patients and researchers will benefit from state-of-the-art MRI scanning facilities in Edinburgh thanks to a £400,000 grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Continue reading Heart patients to benefit from £400,000 BHF grant for state-of-the-art scanning

BHF awards Edinburgh scientists over half a million pounds to determine best treatment after heart attack

Every 20 minutes someone goes to hospital in Scotland due to heart attack

Nearly 20,000 people in Scotland will be included in a clinical trial to determine the best drug treatment after suffering a heart attack. The trial is being funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) which has awarded a grant of £630,000 to BHF Professor of Cardiology David Newby and his team at the University of Edinburgh. Continue reading BHF awards Edinburgh scientists over half a million pounds to determine best treatment after heart attack

Edinburgh researchers investigate heart attack treatments in older patients

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are part of a clinical trial supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which will investigate if current UK practices are in line with the needs of our ageing population. The study aims to find the most suitable way to treat patients aged 75 and over who have had a heart attack. Continue reading Edinburgh researchers investigate heart attack treatments in older patients

Charity giants team up to tackle Scotland’s snacking crisis

A major charity initiative between Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Tesco has discovered that snacking habits in Scotland are risking families’ long term health.

A survey commissioned by the National Charity Partnership, a partnership between the three organisations, found that nearly half of all adults in Scotland (45 percent) worry about the extra calories their families consume through unhealthy snacks, yet almost three in ten (29 percent) never actively choose nibbles that are low in fat and sugar. In fact, despite nearly half of those surveyed worrying about snacking habits, more than one-third of Scottish parents are still regularly offering crisps (37 percent) and 45 percent say they offer biscuits as snacks for their children either alongside or in between meals. 

Katherine Hale, Prevention Programme Manager for the National Charity Partnership, said: “Eating foods high in fat and sugar on a regular basis can contribute to increased calorie consumption – which can then increase the likelihood of being overweight. It’s particularly concerning that crisps and biscuits are still popular snacks for children because the food habits we learn at a young age can become ingrained and stay with us into adulthood.

“By developing unhealthy habits, you may be risking your family’s health. Regularly consuming ‘empty calories’ from snacks that contain lots of calories but little to no nutrients heightens your risk of obesity and the long-term conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease associated with this.“

As the summer holidays come to an end and a new school year begins, the National Charity Partnership is launching its Snack Goals Challenge to help UK families start the new term right by making some healthy snack swaps to curb those junk food cravings and improve their long-term health.

The partnership is encouraging people to set a goal to ‘eat healthy snacks’ using its online Eight Week Challenge. To support the challenge, the partnership has developed a series of articles to provide affordable and tasty recipe inspiration at https://lets-dothis.org.uk/tips/topics/snack-well/. Ideas include swapping crisps and biscuits for air-popped popcorn with cinnamon or spicy chilli.

Ms. Hale said: “Snacks are usually small and can seem insignificant. However the reality is that the calories they provide can really add up, especially for children.  By making a change now and taking our Snack Goals Challenge, to swap to healthier snacks it will help you stay on track and kick those bad snacking habits. For even more motivation, take the challenge with the whole family or friends for that extra element of competition.”

The most common reason why people in Scotland shun snacks low in fat, sugar or salt is that it costs too much money (24 percent). Almost one in five people in Scotland (18 percent) said that healthier snacks lack variety and 16 percent of those surveyed claimed their family prefers the taste of snacks like crisps and chocolate. The survey also found that adults in Scotland have a sweet tooth when it comes to snacking choices, with mid-afternoon the most popular time to snack. Four of the top five regularly consumed snacks for adults are sweet and include biscuits (37 percent) and chocolate bars (28 percent).

The National Charity Partnership between Diabetes UK, the BHF and Tesco is working to help millions of people look after their bodies and reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease by moving more and eating healthily.

To get involved set your goal at www.lets-dothis.org.uk/challenge and upload your healthy snack ideas on social media using the #snackgoalschallenge.