heart research uk pulse spring summer 2015

pulse

Helping Hearts with pioneering medical research

Medical research special 2015

Special medical research issueMedical Research in the UKPredicting a heart attackCan antibiotics prevent cardiac arrhythmias?Future treatments with stem cellsChildrens RehabilitationSpecial peopleFamily Hearts firstUK-wide eventsHelping Hearts near you

MEDICALRESEARCH in the UK

In a new survey conducted on behalf of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) 89% of people would be willing to take part in clinical research if they were diagnosed with a medical condition or disease. An all-time-low figure of just 3% said they would not consider it at all. Also, 95% of people think it is important that the NHS carries out clinical research.

Medical research continues to develop at a ferocious pace. Support from medical research charities such as HRUK has become essential to enable scientists and clinicians to respond quickly and convert discoveries into new treatments or ways to prevent disease. Importantly, it enables doctors and scientists to concentrate their efforts on key medical problems that the UK public want us to work on and try to solve.

Prof Jon Gibbins, University of Reading

For every charity £1 the government gives universities up to an extra 26p for indirect costs

Thanks to the supporters who make medical research their number one charitable cause, UK charities spend £1.3billion a year on research. That’s over a third of all publicly funded UK medical research, at 364 institutes, universities and NHS facilities across the UK.

These charities belong to the Association of Medical Research Charities and no matter how large or small, they all work to the same high standards, ensuring that every pound is spent on research of the very highest quality. The Government helps with the Charity Research Support Fund that ensures that charities only fund direct costs in line with their charitable objectives, not for the running costs of universities and, of course, it makes facilities in the NHS available at no cost.

The same doctors and other clinicians who are looking after patients carry out research and clinical trials every day in the NHS - not just in the large centres but at hospitals near you too. Their research can be laboratory-based, working with patients or analysing information for patterns to give more insight into conditions. Universities and research institutes also host many projects. Working together, they can find answers, fill gaps in knowledge and change the way that clinicians treat patients. We all benefit from past research and, in the future, will gain from current research that is aimed at improving patients’ quality of life, treatment, care and avoiding early deaths.

2 Medical research

Our internal and external reviewers come from prestigious centres of excellence in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Japan, Canada, USA, Malaysia and Australia. Many are household names such as Harvard, Trinity College Dublin, McGill University Montreal, Hannover Medical School, MIT, New York and the Universities of Heidelberg and Milan.

Helping hearts near youSince 1967, Heart Research UK has funded nearly £22m of medical research - currently, more than £2.6m worth in 14 centres. In the last ten years, over £10m worth in:

Belfast | Manchester | Leicester | Edinburgh | Middlesbrough | Birmingham | Leeds | Aberdeen | Bradford | Oxford | Newcastle | Derby | Liverpool | Bristol | Warwick | Southampton | Cambridge | Brighton | Cardiff | Exeter | Nottingham | Reading | Hull |

As an AMRC member, we have a gold standard process for giving out our £150k - £250k grants. In fact, Heart Research UK has been awarded a certificate of Best Practice in Medical and Health Research Peer Review. All our applications are reviewed, not just by our own medical panels, but by independent experts from across the world. This ensures that our process is fair and unbiased and gives our own panels extra assurance from people who have expertise in their particular field.

HRUK events

see Page 16-19

www.heartresearch.org.uk

How we decide which grants to supportWe look for research that will benefit patients as soon as possible. Our founder’s aim was to make heart surgery safer but over nearly 50 years, we have funded pioneering medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

Many of the treatments and procedures we now take for granted may not have happened as soon as they did without our help. This is certainly true for the first successful heart transplants and the implantation of the first artificial heart pump. Nowadays, we fund stem cell research; improving scanning, imaging and diagnostics; arrhythmia treatments, better surgical procedures, tests to predict heart attacks and, importantly, heart failure treatment. You’ll see a taste of what we do with our new grants featured in the following sections and there’s plenty more information on our website;

More grant info on our website www.heartresearch.org.uk/research 3

Translational Research (TRP) Grants Heart Research UK has awarded £724,731 to six Translational Research Project Grants that aim to bridge the gap between scientific research and patient care, bringing about clinical benefits in the most efficient way.

All grant applications are rigorously assessed by leading scientific and medical experts across the world to ensure that we award funding to the very best research projects. The first four grants demonstrate how we invest in projects that could change current practice. The last two, involving stem cells, show how the future could see new, pioneering ways of preventing and treating heart disease.

NEWGRANTS

The Problem Giving extra oxygen to patients with chest pain has been standard teaching practice in medical schools for over 100 years. However, there is some evidence that increasing the oxygen level in the blood above the normal level has harmful effects and may unexpectedly reduce the blood supply to heart muscle. It is not entirely clear how this happens but research suggests this could be due to increased resistance in the very small blood vessels of the heart.

The Project Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the project aims to show the effects of breathing high flow oxygen on the blood supply to the heart muscle. MRI is a non-invasive way of measuring the blood flow to the heart muscle and can also be used to assess the oxygen level in the heart tissues. Pilot work has shown that breathing high flow oxygen reduced the blood flow to the heart muscle by up to 18 per cent in patients with severe coronary artery disease and 15 per cent in healthy volunteers.

The Benefits If the findings show that using high flow extra oxygen actually reduces the blood supply to the heart, rather than increase it as one might expect, then it could radically alter the care given to patients with chest pain.

Studying the effect of oxygen on blood flow to the heart in coronary artery diseaseProfessor John Greenwood University of Leeds / £86,551 – 12 months

www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants

4 Research Grants

Professor Jules Hancox University of Bristol / £117,433 – 24 months Can macrolide antibiotics prevent drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias?

The Problem Certain medicines can affect the normal electrical activity of the heart and cause arrhythmias. These abnormal rhythms can either spontaneously get better or degenerate into a fatal rhythm disturbance. Some antibiotics, when taken at high doses and/or when other risk factors are present, have been linked with the development of arrhythmias but there is also a suggestion that the antibiotic erythromycin may, at low concentrations, actually block the cardiac side-effects of other drugs.

The Project This project will study whether low levels of erythromycin can block such effects and investigate the mechanisms involved. The team will record the electrical activity of cells and carry out computer simulations to study whether low concentrations of erythromycin block the effects of other drugs and explore the mechanisms involved. They will also test whether other related antibiotics have similar actions to erythromycin.

The Benefits This project aims to answer questions about the causes and prevention of drug-induced arrhythmias. The results may lead to new ways of preventing or treating harmful drug-induced cardiac side effects that can affect the quality of a person’s life and in extreme cases cause sudden death.

Professor Martin Bennett University of Cambridge / £109,776 – 24 months Developing a test to predict a heart attack

The Problem Heart attacks happen when an artery that supplies blood to the heart muscle becomes blocked, caused when the lining of the artery tears at a weak area. Even with the best techniques, only 1 in 10 areas of the artery lining, identified as high-risk, cause a heart attack over the following three years. We need better techniques to identify which arteries are at high risk.

The Project The team has developed a new imaging technique combined with analysis of the strength of the artery lining to find the weak spots. This technique has been found to work well for patients with a stroke and can spot those patients who are susceptible to another stroke in the future. They now plan to see if it can predict those who might have a heart attack.

The Benefits If doctors can identify high-risk areas, using this new imaging technique, then patients can have a stent implanted to prevent these heart attacks. Patients with low-risk areas would also be able to avoid unnecessary procedures to implant stents.


Professor Paolo Madeddu Bristol Heart Institute / £149,705 – 24 months Treating heart attacks using cell therapy

The Problem Coronary heart disease is caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in blood vessels of the heart. These vessels eventually become blocked leading to a lack of oxygen supply to the heart muscle and a heart attack. Current treatment is usually coronary artery bypass surgery, a major surgical procedure, which involves taking a vein from another area of the body and using it to replace the damaged blood vessels in the heart.

The Project The team has been researching new ways to improve blood supply after heart attacks using cells called pericytes, taken from blood vessels in the leg. Pericytes have been grown in the lab and then injected into heart muscle damaged by lack of oxygen. The team has shown that these injected cells bring about an increase in the number of blood vessels and greater blood flow to the damaged area, resulting in a better oxygen supply to the damaged heart.

The Benefits The work will provide valuable information on how injected pericytes promote an improved recovery from a heart attack, further demonstrating this cell therapy technique is a viable, less invasive, future treatment for coronary heart disease.

Dr Georgina Ellison King’s College London / £113,260 – 24 months Studying the effects of new cancer drugs on cardiac stem cells

The Problem It has been discovered that, in the adult human heart, there are groups of stem cells – the master cells capable of multiplying and developing into new mature cells and can also help the recovery of injured cells. In the heart this is essential, as heart muscle cells are crucially important and cannot replace themselves.

The Project This project will examine the effects of a group of new drugs on the stem cells present in the adult heart. These drugs, called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (Trk-I’s), have recently been developed to treat certain types of cancer. Although they are effective, several have been shown to have toxic effects on the heart but the cause of these problems is not known. The researchers suspect the drugs may be killing or damaging the cardiac stem cells and will study the effects of Trk-I cancer drugs on cardiac stem cells grown in the lab.

The Benefits In the future, this research may pave the way for the development of new treatments which prevent toxic effects of Trk-I cancer drugs on the heart. The work will also shed further light on the biology of cardiac stem cells and may help scientists to find ways of manipulating biochemical pathways to increase the abilities of the cardiac stem cells to repair cells and tissue, which may lead to better treatments for heart failure.

6 Research Grants

New Aortic Surgery Fellowship at Liverpool Heart and Chest HospitalHeart Research UK is funding a new, unique, 12-month Fellowship in aortic surgery at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. The Thoracic Aortic Service in Liverpool is the largest of its kind in the UK and performs all types of aortic surgery. Aortic surgery is a highly specialised and complex field of surgery and this opportunity is not available elsewhere in the UK. The Fellow will gain unparalleled experience in different aortic procedures, giving them the chance to develop the skills and expertise needed to carry out these lifesaving operations.

The Fellowship will give a talented trainee cardiothoracic surgeon the chance to work with, and learn from a team of very experienced consultant surgeons; Mr Aung Oo, Mr Manoj Kuduvalli, Mr Mark Field and Miss Deborah Harrington.

For further details, deadline date and to apply: www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants/fellowship

Dr Enca Martin-Rendon University of Oxford / £148,006 – 24 months Developing a genetic test to improve the success of stem cell treatment for heart disease

The Problem New treatments aimed at improving blood vessel growth and maintain a well-working heart using stem cells from bone marrow, blood and the heart have been developed but trials with patients have shown mixed results and not all patients benefit from the treatment.

The Project This research team has been developing new treatments using stem cells isolated from the patient’s own heart which will improve the blood supply to the damaged tissue. In this project they will use advanced genetic techniques that can give information about the genetic make-up of these patients’ heart stem cells and can distinguish those which can support blood vessel formation from those which cannot.

The Benefits The aim of the project is to develop a genetic test that will predict and improve the success of heart stem cell transplantation. In this new era, regenerative medicine has great potential. However, selection of the right patients for the right treatment is crucial to ensure more successful and cost-effective treatments.


Professor David Firmin and Dr Andrew Scott Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College London/ £106,043 - 36 months Developing new MRI techniques for microscopic insights into heart muscle structure

The Problem Diffusion tensor MRI can be used in the heart to provide information on the arrangement of muscle cells, which could provide earlier diagnosis and new insights into the many diseases affecting the heart. However, due to the movement of the heart when it beats and as people breathe, diffusion tensor MRI in the heart is difficult.

The Project In this project, diffusion tensor and spiral MRI techniques will be combined to produce a technique which will give greater detail and provide reliable and accurate information on the microscopic structure of the heart muscle, for example, in cases of thinned heart muscle after a heart attack.

The Benefits The development of an advanced MRI technique that can provide information relating to the cell structure in thin heart muscle tissue, which is a feature of many heart diseases. This technique may provide earlier diagnosis, new information on how diseases affect the heart and novel insights into treatments.

The UK has an internationally-acknowledged wealth of expertise and importance of medical research. In the latest round of Heart Research UK’s unique Novel and Emerging Technology Grants, £200,000 was awarded to two projects - one looking into problems with the heart’s blood pumping mechanism and another into new techniques for identifying damaged heart muscle.

New and Emerging Technology Grants

Dr Tim Betts and Dr James Gamble Oxford Heart Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford/ £93,957 – 18 months Helping patients who do not respond to cardiac resynchronisation therapy

The Problem In certain heart patients, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) with a particular type of pacemaker can improve the pumping function of the heart by synchronising the beating of the ventricles.Unfortunately, up to a third of patients who receive these devices do not improve.

The ProjectThis research team has developed a new way of delivering the resynchronising pacemaker wire through a different route, passing it directly from the easily accessible right ventricle to the inside of the left ventricle through the septum, the muscle wall that divides the two. There is evidence that this can achieve better pumping than the conventional technique.

The Benefits This new technique has the potential to improve the outcomes for patients with severe heart failure who have few other effective treatment options and it may benefit greater numbers of patients compared with conventional CRT.

8 Research Grants

Heart Research UK has always been proud to encourage researchers of the future and our latest venture gave £30,000 to fund two second-year University of Leeds students on the first rung of the research ladder.

The two EXSEL programme scholarships allow the students to research aspects of medicine that are linked with heart disease, which could help towards finding new treatments in the future. The latest recipients were 26-year-old Christopher Jones and 20-year-old Jack Helliwell.

Chris, from Wakefield, has been looking at new exercise testing for patients with heart disease who are having major surgery, as part of their pre-operative screening. He has been testing individuals by putting them through a new exercise protocol which aims to fully work the heart and lungs. He has been testing patients over two minutes, aiming to work them harder, which should give a more accurate representation of whether it is safe for the patient to have heart surgery and make a good recovery afterwards.

Jack, from Dewsbury, has researched new methods of treating chronic and non-healing venous and diabetic leg ulcers by creating a new ‘biological scaffold’ using pig skin, which is placed on the ulcer to help regenerate new healthier cells. Evidence has shown that this new method will be less painful, more cost-effective and time-efficient by working in just one application of the scaffold.

Students get our research support

www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants


International recognition for our research projectOur translational research projects are aimed at benefitting patients as soon as possible. One, a £98,000 grant at the University of Sheffield from Heart Research UK and healthcare provider Simplyhealth, was showcased at an international audience of 19,000 delegates at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago.

Research project updateStimulating recovery from heart attacks Findings from an HRUK project, awarded two years ago, have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Molecular Biology of the Cell by the American Society for Cell Biology. Gareth Fearnley was awarded a grant of £84,750 for a PhD at the University of Leeds to study the benefits of different forms of a chemical found in our bloodstream, called VEGF, which stimulates the repair of damaged blood vessels. This work could lead to new treatments that can heal damaged coronary arteries after heart attacks.

His success did not end there as he was also awarded a poster prize for his work at the 2014 Annual North of England Cell Biology Meeting.

GRANTSUPDATE

Seven years ago health body NICE, recommended that dentists stop giving antibiotics to patients who have certain types of heart disease. The team of international researchers, led by Professor Martin Thornhill, at the University of Sheffield School of Clinical Dentistry, discovered that, since the recommendation, there has been an increase in the serious heart infection infective endocarditis above the expected trend. By March 2013, this accounted for an extra 35 cases per month.

In Prof Thornhill’s paper, also published in The Lancet, they identified that the prescribing of antibiotics to these patients fell by 89 per cent - from 10,900 prescriptions a month before the 2008 guidelines, to 1,235 a month by March 2008.

Although there is still more work to be done in this study, Prof Thornhill hopes that the data uncovered will provide the information that guideline committees like NICE need to re-evaluate the benefits or not of giving antibiotics in this case.

10 Research Grants

A brief guide to congenital heart disease Congenital heart disease is a general term covering a wide range of heart conditions or defects that are present at birth. Current figures show that around 1 in 180 babies in the UK are born with a heart problem. There are many different types of congenital heart disease and most defects either obstruct blood flow in the heart or nearby blood vessels, or cause the blood to take the wrong route through the heart. Such heart conditions include holes between the chambers of the heart, narrowed heart valves and more complex defects.

RESEARCHFEATURE

What are the causes? Some cases are caused by faulty genes or chromosomes and many children with Down’s syndrome are born with heart problems. In many cases there is no obvious cause but there are certain factors that can increase the chances of a baby’s heart not developing normally. For example, some infections (such as rubella), certain medicines or poorly-controlled diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of congenital heart disease.

How is it diagnosed? Thanks to routine ultrasound scanning during pregnancy, more and more cases of congenital heart disease are detected before a baby is born. However, sometimes a heart defect is not discovered until after a baby is born, and in some cases, not until the child is older or even an adult.

What are the symptoms? Congenital heart disease can have a wide range of symptoms and may include extreme tiredness, poor feeding, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, breathing problems and a blue tinge to the skin. These symptoms may be seen soon after birth, but mild defects may not cause any problems until later in life.

What is the treatment? Treatment for congenital heart disease depends on the type and severity of the defect, and has come a long way over the years. Children who have minor defects may not need any treatment at all. However, if the defect is more serious and causing problems, then surgery is usually necessary. Nowadays, surgery can often restore most or all of the heart’s normal function and the majority of children with congenital heart disease will grow up to become adults and lead full and active lives.

As well as funding pioneering medical research, Heart Research UK is Helping Little Hearts with its unique rehabilitation for children. See page 14 for the full story.

Tommy Frank who had hole in the heart surgery as a child 10 year old heart patient Charlie Ellery


Our pioneering Masterclasses, running for the last three years, show that we are truly Helping Hearts near you by giving clinicians from local hospitals around the UK the chance to learn new techniques from international experts in their field.

Our latest Masterclass in Liverpool saw Consultant Cardiac Surgeons from Swansea, Hull, Cambridge, Blackpool, Cardiff, Nottingham, Oxford ,Manchester, Brighton, Basildon, Liverpool, London and Bristol learning a technique for patients that need life-saving aortic arch surgery - a complex, specialist area with which the majority of heart surgeons rarely come into contact. Above all, patients across the country will benefit as more surgeons will have the expertise to carry out this lifesaving operation in their own hospitals.

The class gave these young clinicians the rare opportunity to expand their knowledge of major aortic arch surgery as well as invaluable hands-on experience.

The Masterclass, funded entirely by Heart Research UK, was held in the Human Anatomy Resource Centre at the University of Liverpool. It was led by Mr Aung Oo and Miss Deborah Harrington, part of a team of the consultant cardiac surgeons that leads the way in this highly specialised surgery at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

Joining the team were two internationally-renowned surgeons ; Professor Di Bartolomeo, Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the Cardiovascular Department at the University of Bologna and Professor Malakh Shrestha , Chief Staff Surgeon of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Vascular Surgery and Director of Aortic Surgery at Hannover Medical School.

Deborah Harrington said: “It was fantastic to have such eminent European speakers. We had lively debates and excellent presentations from them both. I am sure the opportunity to perform such complex surgery will benefit future generations of patients.”

Senior Registrar, Sendhil K Balasubramanian from Castle Hill Hospital, Hull, spoke about the importance of the Masterclass: “It will improve my patients’ care, as well as improving patient safety and quality of care in cardiothoracic surgery.”

MASTERCLASS in complexmajor aortic arch surgery

12 Masterclass

MASTERCLASS in complexmajor aortic arch surgery

Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Govind Chetty, from the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, said: “This course has provided invaluable insight into operative measures, especially on cerebral protection and a direct hands-on experience of tackling this life-threatening condition from experts in this field, which will no doubt give me more confidence in my future practice.”

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Marius Berman from Papworth Hospital, Cambridge said: “This is one of the best courses I have been to. It took on a hands-on approach and performed to a very high standard.”

Midlands

see Page 25-27


Children’s rehabilitation

Heart Research UK wants every child heart patient in the country to know that they can be as active as other children with the help of an exercise toolkit and unique ‘prescription’ advising them on how much activity their condition allows.

In the UK, around one in 180 babies is born with congenital heart disease and the number of operations increased by 60% between 2000 and 2010. At the moment, adult heart patients leave hospital with rehabilitation advice to help make sure their hearts stay in the best condition but with these child heart patients this rarely happens. This leaves the youngster missing out on vital exercise that our research at Exeter University has shown, can help improve their condition.

We unveiled the exercise toolkit and innovative prescription to young heart patients at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the first time in the UK. This was quickly followed by a launch at Leeds General Infirmary soon to be followed by Cardiff, Oxford, Exeter, Southampton and Birmingham. These pilots will give the information we need to refine the toolkit before it is rolled-out in other centres across the UK.

Consultant cardiologist, Dr Graham Stuart, of the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children helped Heart Research UK develop the toolkit.

“This exercise toolkit has been developed to enable such an exercise prescription to be made for each patient in a safe and effective manner so that everyone knows exactly what they can do.”

14 Helping Little Hearts feature

Paul Barnett from Bristol, who attended the launch with daughters Annie and Mollie, agrees there is a need for parents and their children to have clear guidance on how much exercise they can do. He and his children suffer from Marfan’s Syndrome which affects the muscles and admits he played rugby as a youngster but, because there was no clear guidance, he wasn’t told he should avoid contact sports like this.

England netball star player Clare Elsley, 35, is the perfect example of someone who has been encouraged to continue with her sport despite wearing a pacemaker after suffering heart rhythm problems. She says the Helping Little Hearts exercise ‘toolkit’ will be a real help to parents of children who’ve had heart treatments.

The launch of the Leeds pilot study brought together young boxer and Heart Research UK ambassador, Tommy Frank, and three-year-old heart patient, Riley Platts.

Tommy, 21, was born with a hole in the heart and after corrective surgery when he was five has gone on to pursue a boxing career as one of the best young boxers in the country. Riley was born with truncus arteriosis where the two main heart arteries are joined together. He’s had some operations already and will need more in the future, but is a fit and happy little boy.

His mother, Kathryn, said that having the toolkit and exercise prescription will influence how she deals with Riley’s exercise. “It will be especially helpful for when he goes to school. It also means that Riley won’t be on the sidelines watching other children, and I can show teachers a piece of paper that says how much exercise he should take to be safe.”

Dr Dominic Hares, a Leeds Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, said:

“Schools and parents are often very protective over children, but there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that exercise participation is a very positive thing, even in those children with severe heart disease.”

We sincerely hope that our Helping Little Hearts Campaign will have a big impact and believe it is money well spent helping children near you. Some children will get the go-ahead to be active, for others it will give restrictions but their parents will have the confidence to know they will be safe. All of them will know the joy of being active and have a better chance of keeping their mended hearts healthy.

www.heartresearch.org.uk/spending-money

15Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/heartresearchuk

Join us for our summer of SUBWAY Helping HeartsTM Family 5KsLast year we had a great summer of SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5K events across the country and we’re looking forward to 2015 breaking all records. A SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5K is a great family day out; you’ll keep fit, spend some healthy, fun time with the family and, at the same time, raise money to be spent on helping hearts near you.

Hazel Lea from Dronfield did the Sheffield 5K event last year with her 10-year-old daughter Taryn after her father Don had a heart attack. “We had a great time at the event, it was hard, but we got round in 31 minutes and the event was so well organised and fun. Without heart research we wouldn’t have the amazing treatments and medications that can help people have a good quality of life after a heart attack.”

This year’s events are in Belfast, Blackpool, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, Motherwell, Newcastle, Sheffield and Birmingham. A tasty, satisfying, SUBWAY® lunch is included in the entry fee of £6.99. Children under-12 are free.

eventsHRUK

Run, walk, sing for your heart

www.heartresearch.org.uk/events/subwayfamily5kTo enter and for more details, go to

16 HRUK Events

Heart grants

see Page 32-35

HRUK in the Midlands 17Interested? For details visit www.heartresearch.org.uk/events

eventsHRUK

Run, walk, sing for your heart

It’s a great way to see some spectacular scenery and get one of the great walks under your belt. Many people come back each year to take on the challenge and, to encourage even more, we’ve introduced a new less-demanding ‘valleys route’, a guided walk over 16 miles that skirts round the main peaks to give a picturesque and gentler walk for those who don’t fancy the longer climbs.

Among those who took part last year was Professor Chris Denning, who is working on a Heart Research UK-funded project at the University of Nottingham looking into abnormal heart rhythms. He said: “There was a real sense of satisfaction of having pushed myself and raising around £3,000 for an extremely worthwhile charity.”

Up valley and down dale Every year, the challenge is on to get your walking boots on, take in deep breaths of Yorkshire air and pit yourself against the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside.

Former ITV reporter/presenter, Paul Burland, joined us last year and made a video that captured the essence of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenges. See his video at: www.heartresearch.org.uk/events/yorkshire-three-peaks-valleys

It’s FREE to enter and all we ask is that you raise as much money as you can for Heart Research UK. Get a team from work or family or friends to join you and the challenge is on.

www.heartresearch.org.uk/events/yorkshire-three-peaks-valleys

Apply on line at:

18 HRUK Events

Run for Heart Research UK Many of you may have vowed to use 2015 to get your running shoes on and challenge yourself to do an event. Heart Research UK has places in some of the best running events just for you. We have places in the London Marathon next year and there’s the chance to join 56,000 others at The Great North Run on 13 September between Newcastle and South Shields - the world’s biggest half marathon.

Last year, Heart Research UK runners came out in full force with 38 taking part to raise just over £12,000 for Heart Research UK’s activities helping hearts near you.

Heart Research UK Ambassador, Tommy Frank, was one of the runners, finishing in an impressive 1 hour and 42 minutes in his first ever Great North Run.

Tommy said: “I’m really glad I took part in the Great North Run and raised money for Heart Research UK. It was a fantastic event and very rewarding. I hope I can motivate other young people to take part in events like this, as well as keep healthy by exercising.”

www.heartresearch.org.uk/events/yorkshire-three-peaks-valleys

Join our team Everyone who runs for Heart Research UK gets full support with top tips on training, fundraising ideas and a running vest as well as encouragement all the way. If you are lucky enough to get your own place in any local or national challenges we would love you to join our running team.

Simply email us on [email protected] with your full name, address, contact number and vest size or ring our fundraising team on 0113 297 6212.

HRUK in the Midlands 19Interested? For details visit www.heartresearch.org.uk/events

Heart Research stands on the shoulders of heroes We need volunteers now more than ever so please join our team.We firmly believe that volunteers are ‘heroes’ and without them the pioneering work we do would not be possible. They contribute in so many valuable ways from helping at our events, offering their skills, attending collections and being ambassadors for the work we do all over the UK. Volunteering is an extremely rewarding experience and we need more of you across the UK to help us now more than ever.

We’re looking for local volunteers throughout the country to join our team and help us at street and supermarket collections, look after collecting cans in their local area, help at events or even organise their own events such as coffee mornings or tea parties.

There are also opportunities to be ‘Heart Research UK Ambassadors’ and officially represent our charity in your local area. In this role you will give talks on our behalf, outlining our work in helping hearts near you ,as well as collect cheques for us from our valued supporters. Full training will be provided so you can represent Heart Research UK with confidence.

Whether you are looking for work experience, a student increasing their knowledge, retired people with time to give, or you’re out of work, in between jobs or a full-time parent, we can offer you a role that will complement your life, fit in around your usual day and give you a huge sense of fulfilment and experience.

Fran Shilton our Head of Income comments: “Our volunteering roles are flexible dependant on your availability and skills, so whether you only have a couple of hours to spare a week or have more time to offer on a regular basis, we’ve got a role at Heart Research UK to suit you and we are waiting for you to join us”.

Special People

To find out more please go to our website: www.heartresearch.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering or ring 0113 234 7474 or if you’re in the Midlands, 0121 454 1799.

20 Special People

Cath LewisCath is a retired practice and research nurse who has been volunteering for Heart Research UK for 12 years, all coming about after she ran the London Marathon for our charity. She’s also many times volunteered at our annual Three Peaks Challenge. “It would be very easy to sit at home and watch daytime television. The charity came out to speak to us and I was pleased to help.”

Adrian Purtell Adrian, the Bradford Bulls centre and Heart Research UK Ambassador, had a heart attack when he was 27 after a Bulls match against Leeds in May 2012 and is back playing the sport he loves. “Without volunteers charities like Heart Research UK would not be able to fund important research that helped to save my life.”

Rachel FoxtonRachel Foxton, 20, from Cornwall is a student who has helped Heart Research UK as a volunteer. She said: “I wanted to get into volunteering to gain new experiences outside of University. With Heart Research UK I ticked all of these boxes. Not only is it a worthwhile cause to fight for, everyone involved is lovely and I was made to feel like a valued member of the team. I’m encouraging everyone I know to get involved because it’s an experience everyone should have.”

Roxanne ZarpakRoxanne, 25, of Bexley, Kent did the Virgin London Marathon for Heart Research UK after the death of her grandfather and the recovery of her father – both from heart attacks. She said: “Seeing my family go through what we did has made me appreciate how vital medical research into the heart is, and realise the importance of helping and fundraising for a cause that many can relate to and will hopefully benefit from. Volunteering for Heart Research UK gives the opportunity to contribute to a fantastic cause, helping the charity to focus so much time and money into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease”.


New Year’s HonourHeart Research UK’s President, Keith Loudon, has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year’s Honours List for his services to business and to the community in Leeds. As a founding member of Redmayne-Bentley Stockbrokers, a former Lord Mayor of Leeds and a supporter of many charities and local groups, Keith has been a key figure in Leeds business and politics for decades as well as a champion for many local causes, especially Heart Research UK.

Rosanna the water babyRosanna Ogden is a real water baby having learned how to swim before she could walk or talk. She was swimming unaided at the age of 13 months. The five year old from Chorley, Lancashire, had an operation to remove a tumour from her heart when she was just five-weeks-old. To build up her stamina and strengthen her heart, her parents, Sanam and Mick Ogden, started her in the swimming pool at 10-weeks-old and she was like the proverbial duck to water.

Since the age of two she’s been doing sponsored swimming events to raise money for charity and this year she’s chosen to support Heart Research UK with a sponsored swim on 1st August 2015. Last year the youngster was joined by 80 swimmers and she raised over £4,000. She’s hoping to beat that target this year.

Keith has been a trustee of Heart Research UK for more than 19 years and was Board Chairman, 1996 – 2011. Under his stewardship, we went from strength to strength, developing from a Leeds-based charity to the growing national charity it is today. As Tony Knight, our current Chairman of Trustees said: “The special thing about Keith is that he gave his time, the most valuable thing he could give. Organisations need forward-looking, strong leaders. Keith is certainly that and we could not be more proud.”

Special People

Photograph courtesy of The Bolton News

22 Special People

5,000 children and counting

Silky gives obesity the knockout punch

Look what we’ve been up to

Head Teacher, Toni Thomason from Spring Brook Special School in Oldham: “The presentation was fantastic. All the pupils were engaged and interested throughout, which considering we are a special school and our pupils struggle with this, is an achievement! ”

If you’re interested in a session in your school, contact Sharron Bright on 0113 297 6214 or e-mail her at [email protected]

She’s given healthy heart presentations to 33 schools and over 5,000 pupils – and she’s not stopping there. Sharron Bright, our schools coordinator, has been spreading the healthy heart message to children through her classroom sessions and the response has been fantastic. Her sessions cover why the heart is so important, what it does and how to keep your heart healthy by eating a healthy diet, being active and not smoking. The presentation has gone down a storm with schools and Sharron is delighted that the programme, funded by grants from healthcare provider, Simplyhealth, and Drax Power, can be rolled out to more children across the country.

Paul Silky Jones was once a world champion boxer, so he was the perfect choice to urge people to give obesity a knockout punch during National Obesity Awareness Week.

Silky, who’s a great Heart Research UK Ambassador, used the obesity campaign to get the healthy messages across and challenge people to be more active by doing 100 skips a day.

Not only did he do a “boxercise” session at the Xercise 4 Less fitness centre in Leeds, covered by Yorkshire TV’s Calendar programme, he also put the BBC Look North presenters Harry Gration and Amy Garcia and the journalists there through their paces with skipping ropes. Silky, who is now 48, won the World Light Middleweight title in 1995, and says: “Our lifestyles make it easy for us to put on the pounds and become overweight or even obese by being inactive and eating a poor diet, which puts us at risk of serious illnesses like heart disease. Just a few small changes can make a difference, and simple activities can benefit you when linked to healthy eating.”

HRUK in the Midlands

24 Look what we’ve been up to

We’re Brindleyplace winnersAfter competing against 19 other charities, we are now one of three charity partners for popular business spot, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, over the next two years. Making it down to the final three, we were given the chance to showcase what the charity is all about and talk to members of the public about how all the money raised in the Midlands is spent in the Midlands.

The day of the vote was tense with lots of people coming down to Brindleyplace to make it a great experience. Our ambassador, TV cook Sally Bee, four times World Kick Boxing Champion, Kash the Flash and local singing star, Lauren Alexander, who performed a fantastic duet as Lady and the Sax, all showed their support. What was so rewarding was the number of our supporters and office workers who came to cast their vote for Heart Research UK. We’re very grateful and will make sure our time with Brindleyplace is full of events for all ages. Watch our website for what’s happening at Brindleyplace.

Harborne Waitrose bag packsThe generous people of Harborne have done it again and helped Heart Research UK raise nearly £2,000 from bag packing at the local Waitrose store. The store, right on the High Street, has been a very loyal supporter over the years and, this time around, it was a great effort across the three days, with both the Midlands and Leeds office volunteers and staff coming down to help out busy shoppers. Bag packing in Waitrose is always a great boost for the charity and a fantastic way of getting out, meeting the public and sharing with them the work Heart Research UK has been doing in the Midlands. All the money raised will go to projects at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Blue Spice Restaurant and ApartmentsFans of Heart Research UK are not just in the UK, we’ve had the exclusive family-run Blue Spice complex in Pernera, Cyprus supporting Heart Research UK in the Midlands for over three years. This year, they have really done us proud by offering a seven-night stay to the winning bidder at a charity auction.

The beautiful resort, located on the south-east coast of Cyprus, is run by Frixos along with his sister Andrea. The lucky winners, Heidi Kubrik and her family, sent us a picture of them having a great time in the sun.



As a Brindleyplace Official Charity Partner, we will be able to use the popular city centre space which attracts over 4,000,000 visitors a year.

www.heartresearch.org.uk/near-you/midlands-events

HRUK in the Midlands 25

Hampers and Coffee with the Au Pairs It’s daunting being on your own in a foreign country. The answer from three Au Pairs was to get involved with a charity. Caroline from Sweden, Nicole from Germany and Valentina from Italy, walked into the Midlands office and pronounced they were ready for work. The Midlands office was a hive of activity filling hampers with tasty goodies from companies all around the UK. Our team of Au Pairs worked for days on the impressive, beautifully-packed hampers.

Thanks to Fox’s Biscuits, Dean’s of Huntly, Benedict Bittermints, Just Oil & Just Crisps, Mrs Darlington and Daughters, Bonne Maman, Barry M Cosmetics, The Bay Tree, Taylors of Harrogate, Whitworths, Rowse Honey, United Biscuits-KP Foods, Waitrose, Harborne and Cadbury World for their very generous donations.

Their next venture was a coffee morning at Piccolino’s in Brindley Place. It was the perfect way to get to know other Au Pairs and their host families .

Centenary LunchThe 1914-18 War was remembered when Financial Services Company, Premier Planning, chose Heart Research UK as its main charity at a Centenary Lunch sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The lunch, run by Richard Usmar, Mark Smith and Mark Grainger raised an outstanding £22,000 to help fund a £38,000 monitoring system to support babies, as well as parents, when bringing their youngster home from Birmingham Children’s Hospital for the first time after complex heart surgery. The monitoring system provides a fast-alert system back to a nurse at the hospital and brings peace of mind to families and gives the best start to youngsters.

A sign of our timesFor the first time, Heart Research UK had our name in lights, shining above the A38 as it wends its way into Birmingham, thanks to a very generous donation of free space by Elonex Outdoor Media. This busy route into Birmingham sees nearly 400,000 vehicles a day and our sign was in the perfect position to capture drivers’ attention and give them an eyeful of our high profile message every day.



HRUK in the Midlands26

250 pancakes in a dayPiccolino in Birmingham are really making sure its partnership with Heart Research UK is going to be a big success with Loubie Goldie, Sales and Events Manager heading up their enterprising team. There’s lots planned for 2015 and it started by giving away free pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in return for a donation. HRUK staff and volunteers, with the help of mascot Hartley Heart, were out in force, spreading the healthy heart message and telling customers and passers-by about our work in the Midlands. Over 250 pancakes were given away and a special thank you goes to all those who gave a donation, helping us raise £160 Piccolino has chosen Heart Research UK in the Midlands as their charity for 2015 and we hope to see you there soon.

Mrs M Marshall | in memory of a close friend | £10

Ms H Sanga | £100 donation

Callum Thomas & David Evans | Great Midlands Fun Run | £25

Pacific Nurseries | Collection Boxes | £512

Barry & Maria Sawbridge - Leicester | Christmas Fundraising | £750

Waitrose Community Matters - Hall Green Branch | £290

Andrew and Julie Marshall | Ethan’s Gift 2014 | £9,515

Lauren Alexander

John Bill Memorial Fund

Michael Grainger Memorial Fund

Brindleyplace | Hilton Garden Inn | Piccolino Italian Restaurant | Arkade Properties | Sue Howells Art | Premier Planning | Deutsche Bank | EKV Design | Gem Media | Pacific Nurseries | WH Painter | Longden/Forest of Hearts | Elonex Outdoor Media | Blue Spice | Warwick Racecourse |


ThanksThanksto our Midlands supporters

Contact our Midlands office on 0121 454 1799 27

Over 1,100 DS Smith staff adopt healthy lifestyles We’ve been helping hearts with leading European packaging company DS Smith, getting over 1,100 of its staff ‘heart healthy’ with healthy heart checks from our Lifestyle team at 17 of its depots around the UK. The company, won’t be leaving it there, as more visits will follow across other DS Smith sites from Launceston and Plymouth to Lockerbie.

Our confidential on-site lifestyle checks included cholesterol/diabetes tests, calculating BMI and waist measurement and a blood pressure check, all supported with practical information and advice and backed up by HRUK’s lifestyle leaflets, which went down very well:

£35,000 for EmeraldWhat a fantastic year we had as the chosen charity for Emerald Group Publishing, which raised a brilliant £35,000 for our Helping Little Hearts Appeal. We’re so grateful to everyone who raised such a large amount which will help our Appeal.

Emerald staff did lots of activities, culminating in a glittering fundraising ball. Emma Stevenson, chair of Emerald’s Charity Committee, said they had surpassed all expectations reaching £35,000. “Special thanks go to Emerald employees globally, including our Research Media team in Bristol, who have engaged with the charity throughout the year, enabling us to make a significant contribution to Heart Research UK.”

Company Help

To find out how you could become a Healthy Heart employer please call us on: 0113 297 6206

Robert proves it can be done Thirty-eight-year-old Robert Wrightman, the company’s UK central laboratory manager, changed his lifestyle after one of our healthy heart checks and is now reaping the rewards.

Robert, who has been at DS Smith for 15 years, was shocked when he got a high cholesterol reading from one of the tests our team did. He decided to take control by making small changes to his lifestyle like eating less chocolate & red meat as well as eating more fruit and veg.

“I was always fairly active walking my dogs for an hour every night but I now jog with them for at least 30 minutes,” said Robert.

And it has worked. He’s lost more than a stone, his BMI is now in the normal range, his cholesterol had fallen and he feels better for it.

28 Company Help

Mum’s the word for a new healthier curryWe’ve linked up with our Ambassador, TV cook Sally Bee, to encourage shoppers to choose a new healthy Indian curry base - Mum’s Masala - which is low in saturated fat and sugar and has no preservatives or artificial colours and flavours. As curries are an everyday staple in the UK we’re very happy to team up with Mum’s Masala, a company that offers the choice of a healthier option in our local shops nationwide.

Sally, also an author and nutritionist , said: “Mum’s Masala will radically change the perception of Indian cuisine, as for the first time everyone can now make restaurant quality curries at home. I believe nutrition is the key to health and this is the first healthier curry I have ever seen”.

For every bottle of the curry base sold, a penny is being donated to Heart Research UK to help us carry on helping hearts near you. Look out for it in supermarkets near you in the coming months.

Caravan Guard hits £35,000In 2009, caravan and motorhome insurance provider, Caravan Guard, started to donate £1 to Heart Research UK every time a customer had its policy documents sent online and have now reached a fantastic £35,000. As a thank you, we teamed up with the company at its Halifax offices to deliver healthy heart checks with great results.

Emma Dean, Claims Liaison Officer: “I eat more fish; It was good to know that I already do half the exercise I need just by walking to work every day so I just need to fit in a little bit more each week .”

Ruth, Contact Centre Manager: “I’m glad I went for a health check and I made small changes as a result. It’s made me think about what I eat and the impact it has on my wellbeing.”

Tom, Contact Centre Adviser: “I was surprised to learn that I had high blood pressure and that there was a high amount of salt in my diet so I have reduced this and now always consciously check the labelling on packets.”

Anya, Contact Centre Adviser: “Since doing the healthy heart check, I have started drinking skimmed milk rather than full fat and have stopped eating as much red meat and cheese.”

And Charlotte, the Contact Centre Adviser, has even stopped smoking.

29Join our Healthy Heart Mark scheme – call 0113 297 6206

A new report from the National Obesity Forum says that tackling obesity must be amongst the priorities of a new government and should be the subject of a cross-party pledge.

Beulah’s life-changing weight-lossBeulah Byron has a positive attitude that’s helped her to lose four and a half stones in a year and change her life for the better. Beulah, who’s 26, went through difficult personal problems after the birth of her second child, and subsequently her weight increased to 15 stones.

She says it was a “shock to the system” that spurred her into making positive lifestyle changes by altering her diet, exercising, sleeping properly and starting to feel good about herself.

In just a year her weight went down to 10½ stone and after securing a new job she hasn’t looked back.

“Instead of getting depressed and eating I decided to make myself fantastic,” she said. “I could have taken a different direction but took the positive way forward.”

She used to eat takeaway meals all the time and had most of her food in the evenings after work when she wasn’t sleeping properly. Now she has breakfast, lunch and dinner and cooks fresh food for her partner and their children, Byron 10 and Charlie, three.

Gone are the fizzy pop and ready meals. Now she’s into a routine of eating well and exercising in what has been a complete lifestyle change.

“I’ve got so much more energy,” she said. “The more you do, the better you feel and for me all I wanted to do was lose weight. It has certainly made my life more exciting.”

Lifestyle

30 Healthy Hearts

Family Hearts FirstMost of us are aware of the alarming rates of obesity both in the UK and globally. Currently, around a third of children in the UK are classed as overweight or obese, with rates continuing to grow among adolescents. What’s more, as overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults, and the growing risks of health complications that this creates, it’s really important to start early with those heart-healthy habits.

Children look up to adults in their lives and often mirror their behaviour. This is why Heart Research UK is encouraging parents to be heart-healthy role models to set their children on course for long, healthy, happy lives.

Make healthy lifestyles the ‘norm’ in your household

Family fun time Make the most of that precious family time by getting out and being active together. Explore the countryside with family bike-rides, dog walks or take a splash at the local pool. Exercise is good for the body and the mind as it releases the feel good hormones endorphins, which can help you to sleep better too.

Keep trying Getting children to eat heart-healthy vegetables and oily fish can be a bit of a struggle, but don’t give up. Evidence shows that kids need to try new foods up to ten times before accepting them. If eating greens or other items do become a persistent problem, try mixing them in with other foods to start with so kids will still get that all-important goodness.

Get cooking Spend some time together in the kitchen and get the kids involved with the cooking. Encouraging children to be involved with basic food preparation like weighing out ingredients and mixing will teach them valuable cooking skills and may make them more likely to try new things if they’ve helped to make it.

Ditch your own bad habits Be careful about the likely messages you’re passing on to the children through your own unhealthy habits. If you’re a smoker think about creating a smoke-free environment and quitting. Don’t smoke around them and set an example with sensible drinking habits, being active and eating a well-balance diet.

It’s always easier to make changes if the whole family’s on board and, as children are likely to pick up the habits of the adults around them, starting out on the road towards heart healthier lifestyles will encourage them to follow in your footsteps.

For more information www.heartresearch.org.uk 31

Thanet - Skip2BFit’ ‘Learn2BFit’, £10,000 Skipping and learning about healthy eating and positive lifestyle choices is a programme for over 3,500 pupils in the most deprived communities of Thanet. Skipping ropes with counters will help them track their progress, all topped off with a two-minute challenge to earn their free blueberries.

Latest HRUK Healthy Heart Grants In our latest round, we introduced, especially for smaller organisations, Healthy Heart Grants of up to £5,000. It also gives more projects in more locations.

Southend United Community and Educational Trust ‘SUCET in the Heart of the Community’, £10,000 The six-week Blues Bodycare programme for 300 school children in Castle Point promotes heart health and lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of heart disease with interactive sessions.. A Southend United stadium tour and match tickets at the end of the programme keeps them focused.

Coventry - Foleshill Women’s Training (FWT) Limited ‘Foleshill Heart for the Community Project’, £9,998 Eight-week programmes are being run for women from Black Minority Ethnic communities in Coventry, their families and the wider community to improve their heart health through art-based activities, traditional cooking in a heart-healthy way and female-only exercise events.

Belfast - Willowfield Parish Community Association ‘Lifeguards’, £9,997 Ten primary schools in deprived areas of Belfast will meet two characters, Larry the Lifeguard and Harry the Heart on four-week fitness courses and ‘Making Healthy Choices’ workshops. A Boot Camp Summer Scheme will also run, offering a week of fitness and health activities.

32 HRUK Healthy Hearts Grants

York - York City Knights Foundation ‘Healthy Heart - Healthy Family Community project’, £9,969 Free York City Knights RLFC match day tickets are the reward for six York primary schools following lunchtime sessions three times a week, as well as innovative team sport activities like Olympic-style sports. The children will learn how to look after their hearts and use food diaries to promote the healthy eating message.

Bideford, Devon - Wings South West ‘Horizons Healthy Hearts’, £9,940 Unemployed young people aged 16-25 and young parents are benefitting from this challenging programme in Devon, covering exercise, diet, stress and smoking cessation. A variety of outdoor activities like canoeing, surfing and cycling are promoting physical activity as well as building team skills and promoting self-esteem.

London - Inspiring Audio Limited ‘Count the Beats’, £9,900 Radio producers and a panel of doctors have designed short audio features and 60 second clips aimed at children aged six to 12 to be aired on Fun Kids, the UK’s only radio station dedicated to children and the BFBS stations broadcasting to military families in British overseas bases.

Harrogate - Harrogate Town Community CIC ‘Harrogate District Hearty YOU!’, £9,892 Adults at increased risk of heart disease, families with children and overweight pregnant women are taking part in a 10-week focused lifestyle programme. Pregnant women will benefit from antenatal exercises and educational classes and families can get involved in fitness and lifestyle classes to improve heart health and tackle rising obesity levels in the Harrogate district.

Littlehampton, West Sussex - Blueprint 22 ‘Get Up, Stand Up’, £9,310 Healthy heart messages are being delivered by young people with personal or family experience of heart conditions with support from qualified professionals in nutrition, smoking cessation, personal training and nursing.

33To apply for a grant visit www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants

Bury – Jigsaw ‘Heart Smart 2 - Bigger, Better - This Time Together’, £9,000 In a repeat grant, families and carers of disabled young people attending the sports and social group will benefit from Bury’s Exercise and Therapy Service (BEATS), Family Cookery sessions, Healthy Living classes and Family sport.

Latest HRUK Healthy Heart Grants

Bolton Lads and Girls Club, Bolton ‘Healthy Young Hearts’, £8,816 Fun is the theme of the after school club for over 140 eight to 12-year-olds learning about their heart and how to look after it. From planning shopping to cooking, they’re given the skills and confidence to make healthy heart meals, also available in the club’s café so more peoples’ hearts can benefit.

Inverurie - Garioch Community Kitchen ‘Healthy Heart, Healthy Mind’, £4,998 Adults at risk of heart disease are walking and eating their way to a healthier heart in North East Scotland with 30-min walks and walking football sessions to encourage men to get fit with the help of Aberdeen Football Club. Nutritionist-led healthy eating advice will give knowledge of food groups, portion sizes, food labelling and the important nutrients in foods.

St Austell, Cornwall - Treverbyn Community Hall ‘Treverbyn Hearts’, £4,890 Parents of pre and primary school children in Treverbyn will experience eight weeks of group workshops as well as individual consultations and assessments. Sessions on a balanced heart healthy diet on a budget, weight management and the negative impacts of physical inactivity, alcohol, smoking and stress, will encourage participants to influence other family members to lead heart-healthy lifestyles.

34 HRUK Healthy Hearts Grants

Ballymena - Mid & East Antrim Agewell Partnership (MEAPP) ‘A Walking Man’s Game’, £4,500 Up to 60 men aged 50 and above are taking part in walking sport sessions including Walking Football, aiming to improve physical fitness levels. ‘Walk Tests’, happiness and wellbeing assessments and Mini Health Checks have been offered to assess participants’ progress.

Ripley, Derbyshire - Amber Trust ‘I ♥ wellbeing’, £4,420 Over six weeks, residents of Amber Valley recovering from mental ill health have focussed on learning how to cook on a budget, food label reading, maintaining a healthy weight and the benefits of exercise and not smoking. A buddying network will help them gain confidence and motivation to make changes to their normal routine.

Bradford - Café West Healthy Living Centre ‘Healthy Heart@Café West’, £3,026 Healthy eating is the main focus at the Café West Healthy Living Centre as 48 adults in deprived areas of Bradford are learning how to shop, cook and adapt recipes to create tasty heart healthy meals. Fats, salt and food labels are topics to help service users reduce their weight and make healthy eating choices.

Birmingham - Queen Alexandra College ‘QAC’s Three E’s of Heart Health’, £3,018 Around 500 people with sensory impairments, mobility problems and learning disabilities are focussing on the three E’s: ‘Exercise, Eat and Educate’. Sport and Recreation BTEC students are leading exercise and fitness sessions to suit all abilities.

Join our Lay PanelAre you interested in community projects that promote heart-healthy lifestyles? Would you like to join our Lay Panel and help score a dozen pre-selected applications twice a year? For more information, please contact the Lifestyle team on0113 297 6206 or 0113 297 6213

35To apply for a grant visit www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants

Test yourself with a new challenge in 2015. Remember, too, that everything you raise will be spent near you on pioneering medical research, encouraging the experts of tomorrow or in Helping Little Hearts.

Challenge yourself in 2015

Channel Swim Ever fancied swimming the English Channel without having to negotiate one of the world’s biggest shipping lanes? Well, now you can, just do the 22.5 miles in the relative calm of your local swimming baths.

Great Wall of China This testing challenge will take you across one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. For five days you will trek amidst breathtaking mountains and valleys, and through ancient battlements, knowing you are raising money to help people live healthier, happier, longer lives.

Sky diving Ever fancied a skydive? You’ve a choice of June or September at Hibaldstow Airfield in Brigg, North Lincolnshire where you’ll have the chance to take the jump of a lifetime whilst harnessed to a qualified instructor.

London to Paris cycle Fancy a cycle ride to the heart of the French capital? With a trip planned in September, as well as more next year, there are plenty of opportunities to get on the saddle, raise money and cycle for your heart.

For more information and registration details for all these events, visit:

Heart Research UK Suite 12D, Joseph’s Well, Leeds LS3 1AB. T: 0113 234 7474 F: 0113 297 6208 [email protected] Registered charity number 1044821.

Do something today that your future self will be proud of. Tomorrow starts TODAY!

heartresearch.org.uk

0113 234 7474

[email protected]

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...enjoy the ride!

3 June 2015or 16 September 2015Other dates available

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PML_HRUK_L2P_Poster_PRESS.indd 1 02/02/2015 12:29

www.heartresearch.org.uk

Heart Research UK, Suite 12D, Joseph’s Well, Leeds LS3 1AB or call 0113 234 7474 Fax: 0113 297 6208Email: [email protected] Website: www.heartresearch.org.uk

Thanks to our partners

If you would like to discuss a bespoke partnership for your business then please contact [email protected] or call 0113 297 6202

Registered Charity No. 1044821 Registered Office: Suite 12D, Joseph’s Well, Leeds LS3 1AB Company limited by guarantee No. 3026813 Registered in England.

heart research uk pulse spring summer 2015

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