COMPANIES across the South East are being encouraged to help beat heart disease by joining forces with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) – Europe’s largest funder of heart and circulatory research. 

Heart and circulatory disease kills nearly 160,000 people in the UK each year. In the South East alone, close to 21,000 lives are lost and around 935,000 currently live with the burden of these devastating conditions.

The British Heart Foundation is calling on organisations across the region to help end this devastation by supporting the charity’s lifesaving work and becoming an official charity partner. Last year, companies in the South East raised around £39,000, which will help researchers identify revolutionary new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory disease.

Companies can also play a vital role in helping the charity create a nation of lifesavers. By training staff in how to perform lifesaving CPR, businesses can empower colleagues with skills they need if someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

Dawn Smith, the British Heart Foundation’s fundraising manager for the South East, said: “Heart disease is heartless. Too many lives are lost in the South East each year, and we’re determined to do everything we can to keep more families together.

“We urgently need more funds to help end the devastation caused by heart disease, which is why we’re calling on the support of companies, large and small, across the region. Every pound raised through partnerships will help make a difference to the millions living with the terrible burden of heart disease.”

To get involved, visit bhf.org.uk/how-your-company-can-help.