Community groups that are helping local people look after their hearts can now apply for a grant of up to £15,000 from national charity Heart Research UK. Grants will be awarded in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England.
The grants are available for new and effective projects working with adults to promote healthy hearts with the aim to reduce the risk of heart disease in their community.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the world’s biggest killers, and the Healthy Heart grants aim to work preventatively within communities that may be marginalised or not have much access to health resources.
Projects should deliver health initiatives mainly focusing on one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as nutrition and healthy eating, physical activity, smoking, or alcohol.
The grants are available to registered charities with an annual income of less than £1m.
Opening dates for applications for each region will be staggered, with Wales being the first to open on the 30th of March with a closing date of the 27th of April.
Since 2001, Heart Research UK has awarded over 300 community grants, directly benefiting the hearts of over 70,000 individuals and countless wider community and family members across all regions of the UK.
Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said: “We’ve seen amazing results from our Healthy Heart Grants over the years and are thrilled to be able to continue to award these in 2023.
“We know it’s a challenge to try and change your life for the better when it comes to things like eating and exercising, and through these grants we’ve seen what a massive impact grassroot community projects can have in providing resources, knowledge and tools and motivating people to look after their hearts.
“We’re now looking for new and innovative projects that really will have an impact, especially if they aim to improve the health of at risk or hard to reach communities.”
To see the full list of opening and closing dates for applications, please visit:
The Heart of Scotland Appeal, a fundraising campaign by national charity Heart Research UK, have partnered with Scottish Squash to encourage more people to play the sport on the 9th October – TODAY, World Squash Day.
The Heart of Scotland appeal was launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the problem of heart health in Scotland, and to generate vital funds for pioneering research at Universities’ and hospitals across the country. Recently, Heart Research UK funded almost £300,000 worth of research at universities in Glasgow and Dundee to investigate links between COVID-19 and heart disease.
Coronary heart disease is Scotland’s single biggest killer, with lifestyle factors such as obesity and lack of exercise directly impacting upon a person’s risk.
In an effort to combat the statistic that more than a third of adults in Scotland do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity, the Heart of Scotland appeal has teamed up with Scottish Squash to inspire people across Scotland to get more active, and ‘Squash the Stigma’ that squash can be a difficult and inaccessible sport to get into.
They are calling for players across Scotland to get on court this World Squash Day to #SquashTheStigma by post a #SweatySelfie and donating to the Heart of Scotland appeal.
The best selfie from the day will win brand new squash equipment for their club.
In a survey by Forbes magazine, squash was ranked as the healthiest sport in the world. Forbes consulted with personal trainers, coaches and exercise physiologists, and ranked sports as being the ‘healthiest’ in terms of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, calories burned in 30 minutes and injury risk.
Dr Sue Robertson, who is the current Scottish Women’s over-55 champion, played squash as a child before focusing on a medical career. After 17 years without playing, she picked up the game again.
She said: “I was truly terrible when I started again, and for a couple of years just played occasionally.
“I was introduced to Masters Squash (for over 35’s) and made so many new friends I wouldn’t have otherwise met. I was the fittest and happiest I’d been for 20 years, because it’s so good for your mental health, as well as your physical health.
“It fits into that busy life really well, way less time than a good gym session, but it’s so much more fun. Sport is just so key to a happy life.
“I work in an admissions unit in the hospital as a physician, so I see people every day with heart problems for lots of different reasons.
“I know about the benefits of sport and the benefits of physical activity, and if we have a society that encourages and educates people on that, then we will have a healthier society.”
Amanda Donaldson, Senior Fundraiser for the Heart of Scotland appeal, said: “We all know that physical activity is beneficial for our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. Here at the Heart of Scotland Appeal, we want to encourage as many Scots as possible to get more active, and what better time than World Squash Day!
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Scottish Squash to promote the sport as a great way to get fit, meet new friends and improve your heart health, and to raise awareness of the Heart of Scotland Appeal and the life-saving research that we fund.
“We can’t wait to see everyone’s #SweatySelfies as they take part in games across the country and help to raise vital funds for the Heart of Scotland appeal.”
Allan McKay, Director of Development at Scottish Squash, said: “We’re really pleased with our partnership with the Heart of Scotland Appeal as we share common values across both organisations to promote physical activity and healthy living. Through this partnership we can also raise awareness of the great work that the Heart of Scotland Appeal carry out every day.
“By linking the partnership to the 2021 World Squash Day on Saturday 9th October we hope more people will get on court and experience the excellent physical and mental health benefits that squash can offer to people across Scotland while support hear research.
“Make sure to share all your #SweatySelfies across social media on World Squash Day!”
Heart disease remains one of the biggest health issues in Scotland and more than 1,490 local heroes laced up to raise awareness of the disease – and money for local health projects – by completing the SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5K Fun Run at Holyrood Park on Sunday.Continue reading Happy Hearts run to inspire local lifestyle changes
