BHF-BACPR "Celebrating Cardiac Rehabilitation" Award 2011 (UK)

The BHF and BACPR want to Celebrate Cardiac Rehabilitation. We invited all cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes with an email address on Cardiacrehabilitation.net to take part in our search for comprehensive and innovative programmes. The BHF provided sponsorship to award a first prize of £2000 and two runner-up prizes of £500, to be used for service improvement. Forty programmes from across Great Britain sent in details of their programmes and the judges had a very difficult task to shortlist them to the "Top 10". The overall winner will be decided at the BACPR conference in October 2011

Mending Broken Hearts - an appeal to find a cure for heart failure - British Heart Foundation

The British Heart Foundation writes: "The good news is that fewer people are dying from heart attacks. The bad news is that hundreds of thousands of people are living with badly damaged hearts and heart failure. Heart failure cuts short thousands of lives every year, but now scientists have the first real hope that these lives could be saved. We now need to spend £50 million to fund the groundbreaking research that could begin to literally 'mend broken hearts' in as little as ten years"

Mending Broken Hearts Appeal - British Heart Foundation from British Heart Foundation on Vimeo.

British Heart Foundation - new website

The British Heart Foundation has a new website to make it easier for you to navigate and find the information you want

Mending Broken Hearts Art Tour (UK)

"The British Heart Foundation will be celebrating its 50th birthday next year. To mark this occasion, a fantastic array of leading contemporary British artists, including Sir Peter Blake, have created original works of art on the theme of 'Mending Broken Hearts'"

'Active Fat' campaign launched - Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying excess weight around your middle. The Active Fat campaign urges people to measure their waistlines and make positive changes to their lifestyles if they are at risk

London to Brighton Bike Ride 2010 - registration (UK)

The British Heart Foundation states: "Our next London to Brighton Bike Ride is on Sunday 20 June 2010. Standard Individual and Team registration opens at 10am GMT on Wednesday 3 March 2010. If you don't want to register online, paper application forms will be available from January 2010. We'll post more details on this page closer to the time. If you qualify for a Priority place, you'll receive your invitation and further information at the end of December"

Video: Volunteer Heroes- British Heart Foundation

Meet some of the British Heart Foundation Shops volunteers who talk about what they enjoy most about working in our stores

Couch kids - the nation's future (British Heart Foundation)

"Four years on from our first 'Couch Kids' report into childhood obesity and children still aren't getting the diet or exercise they need. Our new report shows that despite efforts to get kids more active, a disturbingly high number of young people across the UK aren't reaching the target of 60 minutes physical activity each day. In England for example, 15% of boys and 19% of girls aren't even achieving 30 minutes a day. Urgent action is needed to ensure that children are able to make healthy choices, this action must involve:

* raising awareness of the importance of physical activity
* providing a range of opportunities to get active
* consideration of the barriers to getting active, and
* reducing health inequalities"

Video: How to Check Your Pulse - British Heart Foundation

Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, shows you how to check your pulse:

British Heart Foundation - Hearty Lives

"Where you live in the UK has a dramatic effect on your chances of dying early from heart disease. In some local authorities, people living in one ward can be five times as likely to die from heart disease as those living just half a mile away. We are devoting a major new £9 million programme to tackling these inequalities in heart disease, giving those born into these areas a greater chance of living to see their grandchildren grow up, and better support if they do develop heart disease" - British Heart Foundation

BHF Podcast: Heart Drugs

BHF Podcast: Heart Drugs - Get the lowdown on the different medicines for the heart

Leisure centre 'junk food' alert (UK)

"Vending machines stocked with unhealthy snacks in leisure centres run the risk of fuelling childhood obesity, warn experts. Crisps and chocolate are on sale where children exercise despite being banned from schools and children's TV, the British Heart Foundation found. And children's meals on offer at the 35 venues spot-checked were dominated by chips, nuggets, sausages and burgers. The charity wants stricter regulation over the food choices available. The report, which was prepared by the Food Commission, looked at leisure centres, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks and park cafes. The average calorie content of vending machine snacks was 203 calories, which would take a seven-year-old 88 minutes of swimming to use up" - BBC

BHF - Robin Hood Bike Ride 2009 (UK)

"Explore the stomping ground of one of Britain's best loved legends on the British Heart Foundation's Robin Hood Bike Ride at Sherwood Pines Forest Park. The Robin Hood Bike Ride is suitable for all ages and abilities with a choice of two routes. The 36 mile Challenge Route takes you through Sherwood Forest along the Robin Hood Way to circle Clumber Park before returning to Sherwood Pines, or explore the 3 mile Scramble Route following the Sherwood Pines cycle tracks as many times as you like in 6 hours. This option is ideal for families or mixed ability groups or if you are looking for something more the Challenge Route is the one for you. Cycle hire is available on the day so there is no reason to miss out"

BHF London to Windsor Bike Ride 2009

Photos from the September 6 British Heart Foundation London to Windsor Bike Ride 2009

Alan Carr launches the UK's biggest ever stock appeal for the British Heart Foundation

"Alan Carr today launched the British Heart Foundation's BIG Donation - the UK's biggest ever stock appeal - aiming to raise more than 350,000 bags of donated items in just 30 days. The comedian and the nation's heart charity are challenging the Great British public to donate their unwanted good quality items to help reach its target. Last year BHF Shops contributed GBP15 million to help in the fight against heart disease. But this year, BHF Shops needs your help in The BIG Donation to help us beat that figure. Speaking of his involvement Alan said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be involved with the British Heart Foundation's 'BIG Donation' appeal and you can do your bit too. "We need you to go through your wardrobes and fill a donation bag with your unwanted, clean clothes, no tat please. "Those chinos with the marmite stains can stay where they are thank you very much. Once you've filled your bag take it to your local shop or a designated drop off point. Everyone's a winner!!"

Heart health is not just about the size of your thighs, says BHF

A new study claims that people with thighs over 60cm - or 23.6in - in circumference have a lower risk of heart disease and early death. A team of researchers who studied 3,000 men and women in Denmark says the relationship remains even when body fat, smoking and blood cholesterol are taken into account. Their report suggests that those with narrow thighs may not have enough muscle mass to deal with insulin properly, raising the risk of diabetes and, in turn, heart disease. But in response to the study, published in the British Medical Journal, British Heart Foundation Senior Cardiac Nurse Judy O'Sullivan said: "There is insufficient evidence to confirm that a low thigh circumference affects a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. "However, low muscle mass is associated with low levels of physical activity which is an established risk factor for developing heart disease. "Rather than focusing on the size of their thighs adults should aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily to help keep their heart healthy."

Gary Go releases 'The Heart Balloon' to help the British Heart Foundation

"Singer-songwriter Gary Go has released a new song 'The Heart Balloon' to help raise funds for our fight against heart disease. Gary is making the track available to download for FREE on a pay-whatever-you-want basis, with 100% of all voluntary donations going directly to support our vital lifesaving work. Anyone who donates to download will go into a special prize draw to win fantastic exclusive Gary Go goodies. Gary has been supporting music royalty Take That and Lady Gaga on tour this summer, and has been referred to by Q magazine as a "One Man Coldplay". 'The Heart Balloon' is available to download until midnight on Mon 31 August"

Exciting new method could help stem cells target damaged arteries (UK)

With funding from the British Heart Foundation and others, researchers at University College London have developed a new method using nanomagnets to enable cells to be targeted to sites of injury in the body

Activity Tips for Parents - British Heart Foundation

"It's too easy for children to become sedentary, preferring to play computer games or watch TV than to go outside to play. But it's important to encourage them to take part in physical activity, to teach them to live a heart healthy lifestyle and avoid problems further on in their lives. So why not try out our tips for getting your child more active"

Holiday and travel top tips from the British Heart Foundation

Going on holiday? If you have a heart condition you may be concerned about getting travel insurance or anxious about flying. The British Heart Foundation answers some of your holiday concerns