Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour MP for Torfaen, visited a British Heart Foundation (BHF) store in Cwmbran this week, to hear from staff and volunteers about how their work is helping to fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases.
The month of February marks the annual Heart Month and the BHF is urging the public to keep hearts beating by learning CPR or helping raise funds for life saving research.
Nick heard from staff and volunteers at the Cwmbran home store about how their efforts are helping fuel the research funding needed to discover those breakthroughs. All the money raised in the shop help fund life-saving research.
Nick Thomas-Symonds MP said: “British Heart Foundation plays a vital role in funding lifesaving research that could unlock future treatments and cures. Cardiovascular disease is sadly still one of the UK’s biggest killers, and there will be approximately 2800 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Wales over the course of this year.
While this work is important all year round, it was great to go to BHF during the month of February, when the charity is raising awareness of the importance of raising money, and the importance of learning CPR through Heart Month.
It was fantastic to meet with everyone at the BHF shop in Cwmbran and hear more about how generous donations from the public help to fund vital heart research.”
On 12th February, British Heart Foundation announced a new £3m co-fund agreement with Welsh Government to fund Wales’ National Cardiovascular Research Network.
The five-year agreement means that Welsh researchers will be able to investigate key areas of unmet health and care needs in people with heart conditions such as arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), heart disease and vascular ageing.
Rhodri Thomas, Head of BHF Cymru said: “It was great to have Nick join us today at our Cwmbran store. In Wales, there are currently around 340,000 people living with a heart or circulatory condition.
Whether it’s losing a loved one to cardiac arrest or coping with the devastating impact of heart failure, far too many of us have felt the pain that heart and circulatory conditions cause. But with your help, we can give more hearts a fighting chance.”
The British Heart Foundation is urging the public to keep hearts beating this Heart Month by learning CPR or raising funds for lifesaving research in February. To find out more, visit bhf.org.uk/heartmonth
