What can you crack in 2008?

The Blog would like to wish all of our visitors and BHF supporters a heart healthy New Year for 2008!

To help you prepare for the next 12 months we've put together our ten best New Year resolutions here

All you need to do is choose one of them to stick to in 2008 - and then, when you've got that cracked, simply choose another!

And before you know it, you might well have all ten sorted. But one thing at a time eh?!

See you again in the New Year...

Stuff and nonsense?

Is it really true that the average Christmas dinner comes to nearly 7,000 calories? Well sadly it can do.

Even a modest slice of Christmas pudding can be as much as 329 calories while four small roast potatoes come to a whopping 400 calories.

And as for the humble cheese straw - just two can add up to 100 calories.

Now you might be thinking at this point we're about to spoil the party and tell you to cancel Christmas.

But no. Our top nutritionists have come up with some very tasty ideas that mean you can enjoy the festivities and stay healthy.

See our top tips for a healthier Christmas lunch.

Enjoy!

A big heart

We're always grateful to everyone who donates time or money to the BHF.

We know that each individual has a very personal reason for doing so.

So it's great when you share your stories with us - and in the case of one of our supporters - the world.

Take a look at this YouTube video and see why one supporter chose the BHF.

A big thank you to our YouTube star.

Still not feeling very Christmassey?

Take a look at more wonderful footage of our festive fundraising BHF Santa Jogs, this time in Cardiff, from our colleagues at ITV Wales.

A very big "thank you" from the BHF to everyone who took part in this year's events.

A healthy winner

A few weeks back we wrote about Connect2, a project supported by the BHF to overcome the everyday barriers people face when they try to walk or cycle anywhere.

Connect2, launched by the transport campaign group Sustrans, was shortlisted for the Big Lottery Fund's The People's £50 Million Contest, and last night it won the top prize.

So well done to Connect2 and Sustrans, and thanks to everyone who voted for them, including we hope quite a few BHF supporters and blog readers.

Here's the verdict of our Policy Manager Steve Shaffelburg: "Connect2, with its emphasis on overcoming barriers to walking and cycling, will make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people on an almost daily basis.

"With physical inactivity being one of the major modifiable risk factors for heart disease, the BHF believes these innovative projects have the potential to improve the nation's heart health.

"Their impact will be felt not just by those who live today but by those who will live tomorrow."

From capital to coast...

Our most popular event of the year - in fact the most popular cycling event to be found anywhere in Europe - is the BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride.

Next year's Ride takes place on Sunday 15 June, and if you'd like to join more than 20,000 cyclists on the 56-mile journey from the capital to the coast, you can download an entry form now from the main BHF website

Hidden treasures, part one

Today we thought we'd start a new series called (something along the lines of) 'Bits of the BHF Website You May Not Have Seen Before'. We'll try and come up with a catchier title, but it'll do for now.

First up is a wonderful game which forms part of our new yheart website for teenagers - only we don't think you necessarily have to be a teenager to enjoy playing it.

It's called Circul8r (pictured above), and the general idea is that you are the pilot of a space ship which has been shrunk in order to travel through the blood vessels of the human body, collecting oxygen and destroying invaders.

Oh, and if you have speakers don't forget to turn them on. The game has a very groovy space-style soundtrack, a bit like Star Trek meets the Arctic Monkeys. Enjoy!

Poor cardiac rehab services in the news...

Our Cardiac Rehab Campaign - which last week featured the BHF's first ever political protest at Westminster - hit the headlines at the weekend.

BBC News featured the story of 49-year-old David Lamb (above) from south Wales, who was offered cardiac rehab after he suffered two heart attacks but attended just one session because he felt the service was so poor.

David's tale is a stark reminder of the "postcode lottery" of national cardiac rehab services which we are currently campaigning against. We believe everyone deserves the same adequate level of provision. You can read more about David's experience now on the BBC News website

Our most popular Publications

We recently promised you a full list of our current most popular BHF Publications, most of which are available to download from our website or order through the post from us.

Well, we've finished compiling and producing it now, so without further ado why not check it out on the main BHF website

The list has been split into core subjects - such as Living With Heart Conditions, Healthy Eating and Risk Factors - so we hope it's much easier to find what you're looking for.

Getting help starts here

Our Heart Help Line provides wonderful information on heart health matters. To enhance our service we've teamed up with another great information service, StartHere

The service covers a broad range of issues, including health, caring, families, education, employment and welfare rights.

Select your topic and and you'll get a brief summary with links to national organisations, most of whom provide free services.

So what ever your concern, we hope our new partnership means you can find help quickly and simply.

The BHF gets political

Ruairi O'Connor, our Public Affairs Manager, reports from today's Cardiac Rehab Rally - our first ever political protest...
"What do you think is the NHS’ best kept secret? We think its cardiac rehabilitation, which can make a massive difference in helping heart patients recover and can save the NHS money, as patients who receive it are less likely to go back to hospital.

But many heart patients aren’t getting it…and many are getting angry.

Over 60 heart patients and health professionals (pictured) descended on Westminster to ask their local MPs to put more money into cardiac rehab. One patient showed his commitment by travelling down all the way from Berwick-on-Tweed – a 600 mile round trip!

Most campaigners managed to bend the ears of their MPs and we expect to see real progress in Westminster (and in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as campaign work is rolled out there).

I was asked in a radio interview yesterday to name a song title that sums up the issue. How about “What becomes of the broken hearted”? Any other ideas?"

Don't join the flock

Here's an interesting fact - 44% of UK shoppers will buy a Christmas gift online this year.

If you were on a high street at the weekend you'll know why - you may be feeling a little sheepish now.

So can we suggest you rest your sharp elbows by a keyboard and browse the great selection of seasonal gifts we have in our Online Shop

If you're looking for something that won't disappoint why not purchase one of our virtual gifts and help fund our life saving research

It really is the baa..st way to shop this Christmas.

Do try this at home...

It's 40 years today since surgeons performed the first heart transplant operation in South Africa.

And since that momentous day, 5,328 heart transplants have been carried out in the UK.

Well now how about trying out this life saving surgery for yourself - on our newly launched yheart.net website for teenagers.

Even if you don't have a steady hand, there's a virtual team of surgeons to guide you through this and other heart operation games.

You can also find out more about heart transplants and get a list of useful organisations
on our main BHF site

New website for teenagers launched

As we write this our new website for teenagers, yheart.net, is being launched at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

The website - yheart.net - encourages young people to find out how their heart works and how to keep it healthy in an exciting and interesting way.

It's jam packed with health-related competitions, quirky games and challenges that win prizes.

It is estimated that 4,600 babies are born with a heart defect in the UK every year – that’s one in every 145 babies. At least three quarters of babies born with congenital heart disease are predicted to survive to adulthood.

Take a look at the site now

Heart support groups

We have nearly 300 BHF affiliated heart support groups across England and Wales. The groups are set up by patients themselves and provide a vital network for people living with heart disease.

The groups are a friendly environment where you can get the support and advice you need.

If there isn't one in your local area you can set one up yourself.

Affiliation comes with a number of advantages including access to a £100 start-up grant, free public liability insurance and a regular BHF Network Newsletter.

Find out more about our heart support groups

Here we ho, here we ho, here we ho...

This just in...

Some wonderful footage and a lengthy news report from ITV Wales on the great BHF Swansea Santa Jog, which took place last weekend - see it here

Sign up for one of the next upcoming BHF Santa Jogs here

Enjoy a 'fruity' stuffing this Christmas...

Did you know the average person consumes 7,000 calories over Christmas lunch? That's three times the recommended intake for an average woman!

Here at the BHF we don't want to come across as "bah humbug" this Christmas, so we have put together our top tips on how you can enjoy a healthier Christmas lunch

That's right. You can - just about! - have you cake and it eat it too. Follow our tips to find out just how easy it is to be healthy over the festive season.

From piling on the veg, making your own gravy and watching your portion size, you really can enjoy the wonderful food Christmas has to offer - without cutting back on all the traditional trimmings.

On your marks, get set, "Ho"...

A week or so back we were commending the British Heart Foundation's very own fundraising Santa Jog events to you.

Well the first of these festive fun runs just took place in Swansea at the weekend, and rather than try to resell the proposition to you again ourselves, we thought you might like to read a first-hand report on the blog of jog participant DDWT - there's also some great video on there too.

Then, should you feel remotivated and want to get out on the road yourself, why not find out more about one of the Santa Jogs taking place near you on our main website

Please note: If you read the headline above in the previous blog entry about Santa Jogs - and got it - then please ignore it. But we liked it and thought it was worth repeating...

Take credit for saving lives

Fancy finding a way to spend money without feeling so bad about it? Well we think we can help.

Not that we'd encourage overspending, of course, but if you are going to spend money on a credit card then doesn't it make sense for a good cause to benefit from it at the same time?

For every new British Heart Foundation credit card account opened with MBNA, we get £50 when you make your first purchase with the card. We also get 35p for every £100 you spend.

Since the launch of the card we've received more than £1.2 million to help beart heart disease. Now doesn't that feel a little bit better?

Find out more about how to apply for the BHF credit card right here

It's about time we had a list here on the BHF Blog. We like lists, and we hope you do too.

Today's list came about while we were trying to find out what the most popular BHF Publications had been over the past three months, so we thought we should share the top ten with you right now. Here goes...

1. Reducing Your Blood Cholesterol - download
2. So You Want to Lose Weight for Good - download
3. Blood Pressure - download
4. Eating for Your Heart - download
5. Physical Activity and Your Heart - download
6. Cut the Saturated Fat From Your Diet (wallchart) - order
7. Guide to Food Labelling - order
8. Heartstart CPR Card - order
9. Get Active - order
10. Food Should Be Fun...and Healthy - order

Saving lives...and paper

There are a lot of things to think about these days when it comes to sending personal or corporate Christmas cards.

Not only do you want to send a stylish card, but to donate to charity and help the environment. Fortunately at the BHF we can help with all three requirements.

Why not send one of our classic e-cards to all your friends or clients?

Our e-cards are simple to send, save paper (and eliminate that seasonal postal drama of will it arrive on time or not) and show your support for the nation’s heart charity.

All the details on how to order our stylish e-cards are on our main website.

Day In The Life of a BHF Heart Nurse

Did you know that we currently fund more than 300 specialist BHF Heart Nurses (pictured right)?

But since that figure equates to just one nurse for every 10,000 people, you can understand why we desperately want to be able to fund many more nurses.

Find out a bit more about the work of our nurses in the special section on the main website, where you can also read about a Day In The Life of a BHF Nurse and a Day In The Life of a Children's Nurse

And if you feel moved to help us try and reduce the yawning gap in the ratio of Heart Nurses to patients, please think about making a donation to work of the BHF

As a charity we are totally reliant on your generosity to support our care work.

Thanks for taking the time to read about BHF Heart Nurses.

Voting with your feet

Do you ever have good intentions of walking or cycling somewhere, but then, when you think about the route you'd have to take, get cold feet and decide you'd better drive instead?

The good news - if that's what you can call it - is that you're almost certainly not alone. Environmental barriers are one of the main reasons that people have cited to us for not taking the recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise.

So we launched the 30 a Day campaign earlier this year, which included calling on local authorities to work with builders, town planners and health groups to create everyday opportunties for people to be physically active.

And now we're supporting Connect2, a project launched by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, to make it easier for people to walk and cycle on everyday journeys to school, work, shops, parks and the countryside.

Connect2 is now one of four projects competing in the Big Lottery Fund’s The People’s £50 Million contest. The winner of the £50 million will be decided by the public in online and telephone voting.

To find out more about the project and contest - and to register your support - please visit SustransConnect2 or text Connect2 to 80010.

Or you can read more about it now on our main website

A digital workout for your digits

Our online traffic statistics tell us a lot of interesting things about what you enjoy on the BHF website. Really they do.

And racing to the top of the leaderboard this week are the Office Olympics on our ever-popular Think Fit! microsite.

This digital workout is particularly popular among those of you in Asia, inspired no doubt by the forthcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Of course, once you've mastered this desktop challenge, we'd urge you to raise your game and try out some of our Active At Work ideas.

Think 'faster, higher, stronger' or at least order a Think Fit! pack

A souper, heart warming treat

We know we only mentioned the weather yesterday, but the arrival of chilly temperatures has rather focused our minds on staying warm.

At this time of year there's no better winter warmer than comfort food. But the good news is that comfort food doesn't have to be unhealthy.

Take this tasty carrot and coriander soup. It's quick and simple to make, and you can download the recipe from our Food should be fun...and healthy! booklet.

So if that's inspired you, why not treat yourself - or your friends and family - to The Big Book of Quick & Healthy Recipes - available from our Online Shop

Coming in from the cold

Let's be honest. It's not much fun smoking outside now that temperatures are plummeting and winter is finally arriving, is it?

If you've been thinking about quitting since the smoking ban came into force this July, perhaps the harsh reality of being abandoned by your non-smoking friends - and left to shiver on the pavement outside - are just the incentives you need.

Of course, quitting can be really tough. But our special Giving Up Smoking website offers all the help and support you need.

Why not sign up for our free daily email support programme - or call our Giving Up Smoking helpline on 0800 169 1900.

Still thinking about it? Well according to our online Stop Smoking Calculator stubbing out even a five-a-day habit means you'd save enough cash to buy yourself a new TV by Christmas.

Reason enough indeed to come in from the cold.

Yule be sorry...

... if you miss out on the chance to dress up in a free Santa suit and jog around a town centre near you.

Of course, we're not suggesting that you look festively foolish for nothing. We want you to look festively foolish, walk or run 2km and raise money for the BHF.

Still not convinced? The Santa Jogs are being supported by former Big Brother contestants Sam and Amanda - or 'Samanda' to those in the know.

Ok, so now that we've sold the idea to you, find out how to be a dashing Santa at our Hearts First Santa Jogs events page on our main website.

The first Santa Jog takes part in Swansea on Sunday 25 November, followed by many more including Birmingham, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Reading, Nottingham, Salford Quays and Peterborough, plus further locations still to be announced - further details here

On your marks, get set, Ho!

The good, the bad and the fat

We all know that fat is high in calories and that it's best to limit our intake.

But did you know that when it comes to heart health, some fats increase your cholesterol levels (a bad thing) but some actually lower it (a good thing)?

The key to lowering your blood cholesterol levels, and your risk of coronary heart disease, is cutting down on saturated fat.

But which foods contain saturated fat? Unravelling the difference between these two types of fat can be tricky but fortunately our Top tips to cut saturated fat on our main website can help.

Join our Cardiac Rehab rally!

On Wednesday 5 December we will be holding a rally at the Houses of Parliament from 12-4pm in support of the National Campaign for Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Cardiac rehabilitation is an inexpensive treatment that saves lives. Yet, amazingly, 60% of heart patients who need it do not have access to it.

We want to take your concerns about cardiac rehab provision direct to our national decision makers.

We’re looking for passionate campaigners who are ready to take up the call for improved access to cardiac rehabilitation.

Sign up today to become a Cardiac Rebab campaigner - we need your support today!

Find out more about our Campaign for Cardiac Rehabilitation

Calling all new mums!

New mothers are being invited to help with vital new research to find out why South Asian Indians living in the UK are twice as likely to die from heart disease as the general UK population.

The London Mother and Baby Study is calling for new mums to have their baby’s measurements harmlessly taken by a ‘PeaPod’ crib at a Northwest London hospital.

The safe, comfortable, warm PeaPod machine has been designed just for babies and measures the baby’s weight and size (body volume). These measurements are used to work out the amount of fat and muscle the baby has.

The study is recruiting pregnant, UK-born South Asian Indian women and pregnant UK-born white women. Mothers to be will be asked to fill in a questionnaire and, if they are eligible, transport will be provided to the hospital clinic when the baby is 6–8 weeks old.

The study visit only takes about 90 minutes. Volunteers are being recruited from now until the end of 2008.

For further information or if you are interested in taking part in the study, please contact Kristina Stanfield on 020 7927 2247 or at kristina.stanfield@lshtm.ac.uk

Stub it out..

At the BHF we would like to think that we don't rest on our laurels. So even if the smoking ban is now in force, our fight against cigarette sales themselves is far from over.

This time we're targeting cigarette vending machines. We want them banned. Why? Because an astonishing 52,500 children regularly buy cigarettes from unsupervised machines.

And we'd really like your help. Please go our ban cigarette vending machine campaign page on our main website to find out more.

Of course we don't just ask for help - we can give it too.

If you're trying to quit, our giving up smoking website has lots of helpful tips and ideas on how to help you give up.

Tis the season...

..to start your Christmas shopping?

Yes, Christmas really is approaching fast, so get in there quick before it becomes really unbearable.

We have a number of ways to help make your Christmas shopping enjoyable and stress free.

Shop with us today and help make a difference to the fight against heart disease.

You can find your perfect gift with us, we have something for everyone.

Great value gifts at fantastic prices, everything from fitness and health products to jewellery and even a popcorn maker!

Find out more about shopping with the BHF here

Help us be a winner!

We need your help to win the coveted title of 'Best Body and Mind' website for our main website bhf.org.uk in the annual Website of the Year awards.

Voting is now open and it's really easy to cast your vote. As an added incentive there are even some fantastic prizes on offer like iPods and digital cameras.

So if you think we're worth it, and we hope you do (!) then please do vote for us and help spread the word by emailing family and friends to cast their vote.

Every vote counts!

Vote for us today here

The grape debate

The issue of how much it's possible for a person to drink before it affects their health - including their heart health - is once again very much in the news. After all, isn't red wine meant to be good for the heart?

So we felt it was worthwhile once again to publish on our main BHF website the information that we believe to be correct on the burning question of How Much Alcohol Is It Safe To Drink?

We hope that it brings some clarity to a subject which very often - particularly if alcohol itself is involved - can become somewhat confusing. You'll find it if you click here

A dog with a difference

Meet Tilly, a springer spaniel. But no ordinary springer spaniel you understand.

Look a little closer and you may just 'spot' why she's special. Got it? No? Keep looking...

Yes, knew you'd get it in the end! Tilly is our very own 'HeartDog' - a dog who really does wear her heart on her sleeve - or in this case on her back.

We're indebted to BHF supporter and teacher Susanna Gates for sending us this splendid photo of Tilly. She says: "Perhaps you may want to use her or the image in a campaign.

"She is especially appealing to children! She spends her day under my desk at school and is loved by the children in the class."

Thanks Susanna. I'm wagering this won't be the last we'll see of 'HeartDog' - so stay tuned.

Anyone else out there with pets - or anything else for that matter - featuring unusual appearances of heart-shaped markings? You know where to come

Ashleigh's a heart hero

Teenager Ashleigh Robson learned life-saving skills on one of our HeartStart UK emergency life support courses - and just three days later used what she had been taught to save the life of her three-year-old cousin Summer Horton (both pictured above).

Read more about this amazing story on our website

Glossy, informative, entertaining ...and free

Our autumn heart health magazine has just been published and as usual it's packed with must-read features, vital advice, recipes and more.

We've got a new 'ask the experts' team ready and willing to answer your questions. Keep them on their toes by emailing them your heart health queries at hearthealthmag@bhf.org.uk

Or you could just enter the prize draw for a great prize that could help you stay in shape.

Best of all it's free - sign-up online to get your copy

But I hate broccoli!

Yes, it can be pretty tough encouraging kids to eat healthy foods.

Children are constantly bombarded by clever marketing tricks aimed at making junk food so much more enticing than, well broccoli.

That's why at the BHF we're challenging the food industry's influence on children.

We want a 9pm watershed ban on junk food advertising on television and we want to see statutory controls to reduce children’s exposure to other junk food marketing, particularly online.

Plus, we're continuing to vigorously support traffic light food labelling.

Now, broccoli really is a great vegetable but don't worry if that's a hard one to sell at the dinner table.

We've come up with some of our own clever top ten tips on how to get children to eat more healthily.

Happy eating!

Donate your furniture & electrical items to the BHF

Are you doing a Christmas clear out and looking to donate your furniture or electrical items to charity?

Then look no further than the BHF!

We have over 40 Furniture and Electrical Stores (F&E) located across the UK and we need your help to raise £1 million.

Our F&E stores sell quality furniture and electrical items and you can help us by donating your unwanted items.

Kicking off the campaign, TV star and popular DIY presenter Tommy Walsh is urging people who are clearing out items before Christmas to donate unwanted goods such as sofas, dining furniture, TV's, fridges, and even ovens to the BHF.

"It would be great to help the BHF to reach their goal of an extra million pounds by Christmas.

"I would encourage anyone who has good quality furniture or electrical items at home that they simply don’t want or don’t use to donate them to their local BHF F&E Stores today."

Find out more about our F&E stores today

Helping to tackle heart disease

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Darren Anderton (far right in photo), now captain at AFC Bournemouth, is the latest player to lend his support to a British Heart Foundation campaign.

Hot on the heels of Manchester Utd and England midfielder Michael Carrick's support for our Pick Up The Beat campaign, Darren has joined an appeal to raise £60,000 for an echocardiograph machine at the Dorset Heart Centre.

Read all about it right here in the (aptly named) online Bournemouth Echo

And in case you're wondering what an echocardiograph machine is or does, find out now on the BHF website

All about statins...

Our Heart Help Line is taking a lot of calls on the issue of statins at the moment, and hardly a day goes by when the cholesterol-lowering drugs are not the subject of newspaper headlines.

We have also produced a comprehensive online guide to the heart drugs that everyone's talking about - so why not read it now and arm yourself with the real facts about statins from the BHF.

A gift from the (drummer's) heart

A huge thanks to drummer Martin Bulloch, of popular - and very good! - rock band Mogwai, who has auctioned his old pacemaker on eBay and raised an impressive £271 for the BHF.

Martin has raised not only money, but also awareness of the issue of heart disease with an audience you would not normally expect the BHF to be able to reach. And that is such a really important contribution too.

So, with thanks, we say go check out the fabulous Martin and Mogwai on their MySpace page - right now!

Autumn, it's for walking

So you love walking?

Well we've got the very best walks, plus you can also raise some money too for the British Heart Foundation into the bargain while you're doing it.

What's that? Show you the walks? Of course, they're all here

A growing issue

Obesity is in the headlines again, with a report from Oxford University professors predicting that within 15 years 86% of men will be overweight, and within 20 years 70% of women.

Government ministers are also, reportedly, particularly concerned about the widespread use of unhealthy 'trans-fats' - which have been linked to coronary heart disease - in fast food.

Our website has a wealth of information on healthy eating and how to maintain a healthy weight for both adults and children alike, with a special section on how to keep children healthy

Healthy eating was also among the subjects of our latest BHF podcast for our TV advert The Beat which is well worth a listen.

How to be a Bloc head, with BHF Shops

Wow, you never know what you might find in one of our 550 BHF Shops across UK high streets - but we'd wager you never thought you'd find one of these. A genuine Soviet Bloc miltary peaked hat

In fact we like it so much we've decided to feature it on our special BHF Shops eBay online store, along with dozens of other collectable and vintage items which the good folk of the UK (or maybe in this case the former USSR?) have generously donated to us.

Just the ticket for a Doctor Zhivago fancy dress party? Perhaps. But at just £3.99 it's a superb piece of Soviet Bloc military memorabilia in its own right anyway.

Not up your street? Why not take a look at the many other fascinating and collectable items on offer in the online eBay BHF Shops store now

Happy virtual shopping!

Cholesterol - it's hot

The most searched-for term on the British Heart Foundation website right now (and for a good few weeks actually) is cholesterol - although perhaps understandably it's not always spelled correctly!

We suspect the current popularity is due to the fact that it's been such a hot topic in the media recently, so we're happy to be able to give you the hard facts about it in our comprehensive section on cholesterol

We've also got a great booklet on the subject which you can download here - we hope it helps answer your queries.

If not, please feel free to contact us and we'll do our best to get an answer.

Is skipping breakfast a good way to lose weight?

Hmm, well it kind of seems plausible, doesn't it?

How about eating at night? Is that likely to make you put on more weight or, if it's a good time to eat, lose it? Surely the stricter the diet, the more successful it will be - won't it?

So, what exactly are the truths - or myths - about dieting? So many questions! But only one place to check out the hard facts - read our informative Top Ten Common Dieting Myths

Survivor Alec's starring role

A big thanks to everyone who came along to our 2007 Annual Meeting in London yesterday, the first of three events taking place across the UK this month. Further details here

The meeting featured our special Heart Heroes Awards for outstanding contributions to the work of the BHF from our volunteers, supporters and others, plus a great performance from the Bayswater Blasters school choir.

One of the undoubted stars of the event was heart attack survivor Alec Keep (above right), who told how seeing one of our Doubt Kills campaign posters had saved his life. His dramatic story was both moving and, yes, at times funny. And it had the audience totally gripped.

If you don't already know Alec's story, you simply must read it or hear it. Find it now on our Annual Review 2007 website or listen to it on our Doubt Kills podcast

So why is there a lion on your egg?

If you don't know the answer to this seemingly random question, it's possible you may be suffering from a condition common to most modern day supermarket shoppers - namely, severe Food Labelling Confusion.

Although we may well have heard of 'traffic light' food labels and the like, more often than not we simply don't know whether to stop, get ready or go when it comes to the products we're faced with on the supermarket shelves.

But an end to (most of) the confusion is here, with our great new British Heart Foundation Top Tips Guide to Food Labelling. So why is there a lion on your egg?

Check out our guide for the answer now before you, er, check out...

Shop to your heart's content

This compact trampoline looks like a great way to stay active without even having to leave the comfort of your own home.

It's one of the great new products in our recently-launched Online Shop - packed with loads of healthy living style items.

It's well worth taking a wander through its virtual aisles - and for every item you buy we get a contribution to help our vital, life-saving work.

Flu - have your say

The nights are starting to draw in, and the flu season is approaching.

For many people it's not an issue, but for those with heart conditions flu can be potentially fatal.

That's why heart patients of all ages are offered anti-flu jabs for free, but the fact is that not all of them go ahead and get one. The reasons why aren't exactly clear.

So the Department of Health, together with the British Heart Foundation, is currently running a special flu survey to discover why people don't take up their flu jab.

The results will inform a new campaign later this year to encourage people to have the jab. If you think you help take part in the survey then you'll find it online here

Your experience and answers could help to save lives...