Entries to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Virtual Heart Hero Awards 2021 are now open and the charity is asking you to nominate your local heart hero.
It is an opportunity to honour the health professionals and members of the public going above and beyond to help save and improve the lives of those with heart and circulatory diseases. And this year there is an additional reason to celebrate, as the BHF marks its 60th anniversary.
Last year five inspirational Scottish winners were honoured, including:
- 9-year-old Fraser Cameron, from Giffnock, who scooped the Young Heart Hero Award after walking 100 miles with his dad Ewen in memory of his granny who died from heart disease, raising more than £3,000 for the BHF.
- The Paul Lynas Memorial Group, from West Lothian, who won the Fundraising in the Community Award, after raising more than £35,000 in honour of their friend Paul Lynas who died after a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of just 37.
- Margaret McWilliam, from Aberdeenshire, who was honoured with the Charity Champion Award after raising tens of thousands of pounds for the BHF and helping hundreds of people learn life saving CPR.
- Liz Douglas, from Aberdeenshire, who was given the HealthCare Hero Award for her work as a nurse over the last twenty years, supporting patients and their families with heart and circulatory diseases.
- Staff and Students at the University of St Andrews, who took the Retail Partner Award after helping to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the BHF and providing much needed stock for BHF shops, reducing waste in the community.
The last 12 months have been the hardest in the BHF’s 60-year history. The Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on its income and as a result, research funding had to be cut in half this year.
As a result, a special award is being added this year – Innovative Fundraiser – to acknowledge those who found new and creative ways of raising money as fundraising events across the country were postponed and cancelled.
A ‘Heart Hero’ can be anyone: From a nurse or doctor working in the field of heart disease who has helped a family, to a young person with heart disease who has shown incredible courage and determination, or a fantastic fundraiser.
All nominees will be invited to a star-studded online awards ceremony premiering live on YouTube on World Heart Day on September 29th, when the winners will be announced.
There are three categories for nominations: My Healthcare Hero, Innovative Fundraiser and Young Heart Hero (under 18).
James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Following the huge success of last year’s Virtual Heart Hero Awards, this year’s event will again be virtual. It has been an incredibly challenging year for heart and circulatory disease patients and their families, for our research community and for the BHF.
“That is even more reason to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our supporters who have gone above and beyond, despite the pandemic, to help us beat heartbreak forever”.
For more information about the criteria and to nominate your 2021 BHF Heart Hero visit, www.bhf.org.uk/heartheroes.