Who's running this town?

It looks like Santa is! At least in Newbury, Tunbridge Wells, Milton Keynes, Basingstoke, Cardiff, Salford, Reading... the list goes on and on (and everyone on it is nice, not naughty!). The folks of Hayling Island (19 December) and Sheffield (20 December) are still expecting a visit too, so it's not too late to get your Santa on!

A massive thank you to everyone who's dedicated their time, money, and effort this Christmas to helping us beat heart disease. You're all legends! And our events teams across the country have done a fantastic job organising it all.

Your intrepid online reporter volunteered for the Reading Santa Jog, and I have to tell you there really is no sight quite like several hundred Santas, elves, and suspiciously puppy-eyed reindeers cresting over the top of a hill! Take a look at some of the highlights so far:

Happy Christmas everybody!

L2B 2010 details revealed, summer just around the corner...

What better way to shrug off thoughts of the approaching wintry weather?

We've just published registration details for next summer's London to Brighton Bike Ride!

If you need convincing, or even just reminding, have a look at the photos from this year's ride (wow, what a warm day that was).

Sue's big day out

We get so many volunteers who do so much amazing work for us. We're really grateful that people devote their time to help out - you're all helping us to finally beat heart disease, together!

You can find our British Heart Foundation shops on nearly every high street (find your nearest one here), and they raise loads of money to help us fund our heart research, helplines, doctors and nurses. They're also a huge part of the community, as volunteer Sue Woodrow recently found out at the Colchester shop:

"Serena the Manageress of the shop greeted me and showed me around, I was introduced to John the Assistant Manager and all the dedicated volunteers. All the staff were very friendly and I was made to feel very welcome.

"There were lots of bags of clothes and bric a brac to sort out into various trolleys and bags and then clothes were steamed, tagged and placed on hangers, bric a brac was priced accordingly before all was sent to the shop floor. Thank you all for my cups of tea to keep me going.

"Mike and Jill showed me how to tag the clothes, more involved than I thought, had to put in different codes for different items on the price tickets, thank you both for being patient with me.

"I would like to say how hard Serena, John and their staff work and the dedication they showed, the shop was very well run and I was pleased to be part of the team. Thank you for making my day enjoyable!"

Find out more about how to volunteer for us.

Making a difference in Cookstown, Northern Ireland

We've recently launched a huge £9 million programme called Hearty Lives, and we're using the money to help people in isolated or deprived areas to look after their hearts.

One of the first places on our long list was Cookstown in County Tyrone, NI. This lovely picturesque town nonetheless suffers from the third highest premature death rate from heart disease in Northern Ireland, so we're setting up an innovative £200,000 heart health programme for them.

We'll be concentrating first on the parts of Cookstown where people are most likely to die early from heart disease. We've got a nurse educator on board, who's going to visit community groups and workplaces, like local meat factory Vion, to give free advice and support.

We're also going to train up local people with emergency life saving skills, and helping heart patients get access to cardiac rehabilitation, which can dramatically improve quality of life!

Hearty Lives is already doing life-saving work in Hastings, Dundee and Newham, and we're all set to help bring help to even more places in real need of better heart health. Keep an eye out next week, when we'll be announcing our next project!

Are you ready to see Red?

Get set to go Red for Heart in 2010 - get everything you need in our
free fundraising packs (that's it on the right).

Plus, our new Red for Heart Facebook fan page is now open for business!

It's a great place to start meeting and talking with other fundraisers about what you'll be up to for National Wear Red Day on 26 February.

Latest from Leanne's blog

"When I woke I was not a happy lady. Apparently I threatened to sue anyone and everyone around me, including a poor student nurse who had no idea what she had done wrong. But I blame that on the lawyer in me, I must have been dreaming about my degree - which is a bit sad..."

Catch up with the latest post from our young heart patient Leanne (pictured above) who's just had the heart valve operation she's been waiting for and writing about for us.

Find out how it went, and how she's feeling now on our sister site for young people yheart.net

Don't spook your heart this Halloween's

Here's a top Halloween tip...

Did you know that pumpkins count towards your 5-a-day for fruit and veg!

Check out some more of our top tips for how to have a heart healthy Halloween here

Blogging from the heart

"A lot of exciting things have happened recently. Not only did I get an operation date I got a new car!"

Leanne (pictured right) is a 21-year-old heart patient waiting for a heart valve replacement operation.

She's currently writing a regular blog for our young people's website yheart, and is into her fourth week of posting.

Read her latest entry here

Thanks to the Think Tank!

Our Young People's Outreach Officer Rory Miller (that's him on the far right in the photo) reports from the latest BHF Teen Think Tank, held in Manchester...

"The Think Tank was attended by 16 young people plus their parents, and we were joining for the first time with the Hearts4Teens Group, a cardiac youth group for young people with heart conditions based in north-west England.

"The Think Tank is made up of young people with heart conditions within the UK, and we meet up twice a year to discuss ideas and get feedback and advice on our projects for young people. Their contribution is invaluable to the work the BHF does for teenagers with a heart condition.

"Many of the young people who came along have known each other for a while now, so it was a good chance for them to catch up and share stories about what they had been up to.

"It was also a good chance for their parents to meet and talk with each other. For many of them, this is the first time they speak to another parent of a child with a heart condition.

"Our weekend included a guided tour of the City of Manchester Stadium. Even if your footballing allegiances lie elsewhere, you couldn’t help but be impressed by the stadium. I certainly was, and it's a far cry from my own team Luton Town's ground!

"It was a busy but extremely fun two days, and the young people we met gave us great feedback which we'll use to improve our websites, factsheets and information for young people with heart conditions."

The Think Tank runs twice a year and visits various parts of the UK.

If you're aged 13-19 with a heart condition and want more information please visit yheart.net/meet or email meetatteenheart@bhf.org.uk

Brighton Rocks!

Mike Knapton, our Associate Medical Director, joined our advocacy team Julia, Gillian and Katie in Brighton this week at the annual Labour party conference.

A late night at the main health hotel reception saw our crack team of lobbyists discuss Dodgeball and our policies on physical activity with MPs including Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health.

The next day was just as busy, with Mike and the team meeting Health Minister Ann Keen MP. She expressed a clear commitment to addressing CVD over the next ten years, and invited the BHF to continue to push hard on cardiac rehab.

Julia and Katie also buttonholed Lord Mandelson on cigarette vending machines as he made for the lift after finishing a cup of tea. He knew all about the BHF’s campaign even if he is against a full ban!

The Guardian’s political editor Michael White introduced our fringe meeting with the Stroke Association and Marie Curie Cancer Care by introducing "the 3 top killers and an MP".

Mike had a lively discussion with a supportive audience, stressing the importance of prevention and highlighting BHF Hearty Lives programme.

All in all, a profitable trip to the seaside!

Sven unveils his latest signing

Former England and Man City manager Sven Goran Eriksson, now at Notts County, has given his backing to the BHF North region events team - and is encouraging people in Nottinghamshire to sign up for the Robin Hood Bike Ride.

Director of Football Sven is calling on modern day Robin Hoods to take part in the event, and was happy to pose with some of the regional team at the Meadow Lane stadium.

Sven said: “I am really pleased to be giving my backing to such a fantastic Nottinghamshire event.

"Heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer and can affect anybody and keeping fit is a way of helping to look after your own heart.

"I hope that Notts County fans will sign up to this event and help the British Heart Foundation raise much needed funds

so they can continue doing a great job.”

The 36-mile off road cycle takes place on Sunday 1 November in Sherwood Forest and Clumber Pines.

For more information about the event or to sign up, visit bhf.org.uk/robinhood, email northevents@bhf.org.uk or phone 0800 085 2280.

Yoobots are back!

But this time they are not alone...

How Huw donated himself to the BHF

Tune in to C4 for The Secret Millionaire at 9pm tonight, and before the show watch one of our supporters Huw Roberts (pictured right) talking about the BHF!

Huw will appear in a Vodafone Foundation Donate Yourself ad, which asked members of the public which charity they support.

Huw is a key volunteer from Cardiff, and raised over £6000 for the BHF after completing a 70-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

His drive to fundraise for the BHF came after his father was fitted with a pacemaker.

The latest from our heart blogger Leanne...

"I think I have gone from six nights a week of going out having fun to lasting six hours before I need a nap - and that’s without a night out or a day at uni.

"Either way I knew it was for the best to head home as my health was slightly more important that seeing Radiohead. And I needed to get over the traumatic experience of being crushed against a burger van by about 100 bored festival goers."

Leanne (pictured above right) is 21 and has a congenital heart condition. She's currently waiting to undergo a heart valve operation.

The passage above is taken from a regular blog in which Leanne is going to be sharing her experiences on our young people's website yheart - you can read her latest post about the Leeds Festival here

Let Leanne and us know what you think about her blog by posting a comment below.

Scotland's young Braveheart returns to fight heart disease

Andrew Weir, the actor who played Young Hamish in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart at the age of 13, has raised over £1,100 for British Heart Foundation Scotland in memory of his dad.

Andrew, originally from Ayr, left Scotland for New York in 2005 and now lives in San Francisco, California. He is currently appearing as Robert Burns in a promotion for Homecoming 2009 on the website scotland.org

He organised the charity golf event at Belleisle municipal golf course in Ayr in memory of his father David, who died suddenly of a heart attack in August 1999, aged just 49. By tragic coincidence Andrew’s grandfather was 48 when he died - also of a heart attack.

Andrew says: ”My father was incredibly sociable and popular and when he died, his friends gathered enough money to erect a bench in his memory at the first tee at Belleisle golf course so it is a very special place for the whole family. We had so much interest from people who knew my dad that we didn’t really need to promote the event.”

The tournament was organised by Andrew and close family friend, Charlie McGill. It was a great success with over 60 golfers taking part and the event continued into the evening with a fundraiser at The Chase in Ayr. Raffle prizes were donated by William Grant & Sons and John Higgins donated a signed snooker cue.

Andrew added: ”John Murtagh, the actor from Braveheart, Rob Roy and River City, introduced the raffle. John and I worked together for many years in the entertainment business. He recently suffered a heart attack while working in Glasgow and so was keen to come along and promote the vital work of BHF Scotland.”

There are so many ways you can help us raise money...

... and we'd like to introduce you to another, our online shop!

We've just had a bit of a revamp - put up new imaginary shelves, cleaned the virtual carpet, polished the electronic windows - that sort of thing. Most importantly of all, we've got some brilliant new items in.

Every penny of profit goes towards the fight against heart disease, so have a look and see what takes your fancy:

Working with heart!

We're counting down to World Heart Day on 27 September 2009.

World Heart Day is a global event aimed at spreading the message that heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.2 million lives each year.

We are a member of the event's creators, the World Heart Federation, and are helping to make people aware that 80% of premature deaths from heart disease could be saved if key risk factors such as smoking, bad diet and physical inactivity are avoided.

World Heart Day this year is based on the theme of inspiring health in the workplace - which is also the subject of our brand new Health at Work website.

You can read more about World Heart Day and how to join a Facebook group for the event here

Hearts in Europe

Our Chief Executive Peter Hollins (pictured right) was in Brussels yesterday as President of the European Heart Network, to chair a conference organised by EHN and the European Society of Cardiologists.

Here's Peter's report on how the day went...

"The conference was discussing the outcome of Work Package 5 of the Euroheart project, run by ESC and EHN and part financed by the EU. Odd coming back as a visitor to the city in which I lived for six years.

"The project compares rates of heart-related deaths around Europe and looks at the policies which are in place to tackle heart disease.

"We had a reasonably good turn-out for the meeting, but were very pleased that both the EU Commissioner for Health and the Director General of the Directorate came.

"The UK is so-so in overall heart health terms, and I pointed out in my speech that everybody around Europe really knows what needs to be done to improve heart health, but the political will is lacking and there are some huge entrenched interests - particularly food, tobacco (still!) and to some extent big pharma who have a strong interest in the status quo.

"I pointed out that we need a much greater spend on prevention, consistent tobacco taxation across Europe and proper food labelling - and I have to be honest, I'm a bit evangelical about this!

"They are all going to come in the end, but the Commission made it quite clear that we have to be realistic about what the EU and national governments will do at a time of economic stringency."

What's it like to be 21 and waiting for a heart op?

"In a weird way I am looking forward to the operation now, but as it is a few weeks away I need to concentrate on my pending exams that I am taking. I have to do my exams in summer as I had an operation during the usual exam time. Annoying, but again my health comes first."

Leanne (pictured above right) is 21 and has a congenital heart condition. She's currently waiting to undergo a heart valve operation.

The passage above is taken from a regular blog in which Leanne is going to be sharing her experiences on our young people's website yheart - you can read her first post here

Let Leanne and us know what you think about her blog by posting a comment below.

Apocalypse then

It's not often that our thoughts turn from hearts to braaaains here at the British Heart Foundation, but thanks to a novel unofficial fundraising event from some undead afficionados in London, one intrepid BHF reporter nearly didn't make it out with hers.

The Sports Day of the Dead started with a horde (slowly) rampaging through Leicester Square.

The ranks of the differently-alive were very varied, everything from zombie telemarketers to undead soldiers.

Characters from films and post-apocalyptic video games like Resident Evil tried briefly to keep the mob at bay but were swiftly consumed (providing essential protein)!

Hearts and minds

The ravening monsters then moved on to the swelteringly warm London Fields for an afternoon of fun, games and brain-flavoured jelly.

The javelimb and the people chase definitely added a new twist to the traditional sports day, and there was a great grand prize (more on that later). The limping was very energetic, proving that exercise definitely doesn't have to be dull!

We'd like to extend our thanks to the organisers of this and every other unofficial fundraising event for their creativity and hard work. It's only with your support that we can keep up the fight against heart disease.

Paris when it sizzles

Love and marriage went together like a horse and ...bicycle? on the British Heart Foundation's London to Paris ride this August.

After the 280 mile ride from Big Ben to the Palace of Versailles, the first thing people usually want to do is have a good meal or maybe a cold bath, but instead one of our riders whipped out a diamond ring and proposed to his girlfriend. The romance of it all had the BHF staff in tears!

This ride was organised when our September London to Paris event filled up so quickly that we just couldn't disappoint everyone who wanted to join in. What made this ride very special was that we all got to know every rider and support driver by name.

BHF organiser Kate Sparks said: “We were so lucky with the group of people we got. I miss all the teams today and can’t wait for the next one in September. A huge thanks to our volunteers who showed continued enthusiasm throughout the whole three days."

Whether they were riding for a loved one, took it as a personal challenge, were on a work team-bonding excursion or just fancied it, our riders ended up friends for life.

We hope you all have good memories of fantastic times, new friends made, beautiful roads ridden, many hills conquered and very sore bottoms. Here's hoping we all get invited to the wedding, too!

Long live the King

We really love all the amazing work everyone is doing to raise money for the BHF. Without your support our vital research, care and treatment programmes just couldn't happen!

This weekend is no exception. York's famous Crescent Club will be all shook up by hundreds of Elvis impersonators in aid of the British Heart Foundation! The Elvis Academy 2009 will be handing out awards to the crème de la crème of Presley pretenders.

Organiser Eddie Vee, himself an Elvis impersonator, says:

“Elvis really put his heart into all his shows and raised millions for charities, so Elvis tributes know how important the heart is, and that the British Heart Foundation plays a vital part in taking care of hearts – so please support the event whole heartedly.”

Pick up your tickets for £5 per day by:

• getting them from the Crescent Club on the day
• phoning Lucy Watson on 01904 639308
  or 07802 755798
• emailing Lucy Watson at the BHF.

Share your story - help save lives

Here at the British Heart Foundation, we need real stories to include in our educational and fundraising materials.

We also receive regular requests from the media wishing to speak to people who have been affected by heart disease.

Whether you have experienced a heart condition yourself, or been affected by the experiences of a close friend or family member, your story could help change and save lives.

At the moment, we are particularly looking for:

• Women under the age of 40 with experience of heart conditions
• Children and teenagers with experience of heart conditions
• Families where more than one member has been affected by heart disease

To send us your story, please choose from one of the following options:

• I am a heart patient
  
• My child is a heart patient
  
• A family member or friend of mine is a heart patient

If you would like to help raise awareness of heart disease, please click the link above that's relevant to you and a member of BHF staff will be in touch with you.

Information from this form will only be available to BHF staff for the purpose of matching your story to BHF publications or publicity and will only be used with your prior consent.

For more information, please contact us on 020 7754 0153 or email yourstory@bhf.org.uk

Making waves in the fight against heart disease

Our East Region Events Manager Melanie Blackman sends us this report from the weekend's Brighton Sea Swim...

"It was 9am, Saturday. The weather was amazing and the sea 'glassy' (which means pretty perfect I'm reliably informed) when suddenly a voice came over the radio: 'The sharks are in the water!'

"But there was no need to panic. It just the first of three groups of BHF fundraising heroes taking to the water for our third annual Brighton Sea Swim.

"Around 250 Sharks, Dolphins and Seals registered for the 1km swim and decided this was the summer they would get wet, get fit and save lives.

"The media were out in full force capturing the event and some of the incredible life stories that inspire people to take part in our events.

"Also there were a film crew for TV channel Five, who are producing a series about life in Brighton . It's due to be aired early September so make sure you check it out.

"Thanks to the entire team who worked so hard on the day to make this year's Brighton Sea Swim the very best yet!"

Good for your 'elf

Okay, okay, it's only July, we know, so we'll keep the Christmas puns to a minimum...

Our Santas are relaxing and taking in a few rays (now we know where he gets his shiny red nose!) in the summer sun, but they wanted to remind you of some fantastic events we've got going on this festive season.

Every year thousands of people across the country slip on their Santa suits in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Our Santa Jogs are a lovely way to get into the Christmas spirit, raise your heart rates and save lives. You can choose to walk, jog or run the routes with a sea of fellow Santas (sunbathing optional)!

Find a Santa Jog near you
and help us save lives this
Christmas:

• Basingstoke
• Cardiff
• Milton Keynes
• Reading
• Salford Quays
• Swansea

You are our shining lights....

... so we want to let you in on this spectacular opportunity to snap up the best seats at the sell-out Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert in Edinburgh on Sunday 6 September.

Each ticket costs only £25, and we're hoping to raise over £13,000! 100% of the profits from ticket sales are being donated directly to the BHF.

The tickets, which the Bank of Scotland has generously donated to us, will see you right in the heart of the action, in the exclusive Ross Theatre viewing area in the beautiful Princes Street Gardens.

This amazing event is Europe’s biggest annual fireworks display - choreographed to live music from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Get your tickets here!

Going abroad or staying at home?

Check out our travel tips for heart patients, our guide to help your holiday run smoothly - PLUS get a free podcast...

Take me there now!

Swine flu and you

In light of the latest news about swine flu in the UK, we've put together a special Q&A for heart patients and their carers who may be worried about it.

People with chronic conditions such as heart disease, the elderly and the very young, have a greater risk of having worse symptoms than the general population.

For the full swine flu Q&A please visit our main website

Statins and heart health

Statins are a drug currently prescribed to healthy people who are at high risk of heart disease, perhaps because of a family history of heart disease, or high cholesterol levels.

They can also help prevent further problems for people who have had a heart attack or stroke.

Statins lower cholesterol in your blood. High cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits building up in your arteries, which may lead to coronary heart disease.

As with any drug there is a risk of side effects, but with statins these are usually mild and easy to spot and treat.

The British Medical Journal recently published a paper which suggests statins could be useful for everyone, whether they have the symptoms of heart disease or not.

Our senior cardiac nurse, Cathy Ross, says that this may have implications on when doctors prescribe statins.

Have you had experience of statins? Please leave us a comment, or you can join us on Facebook and Twitter and share your experiences there.

Stay safe in the sun

While many of us have been longing for some proper summer weather, it is important to look after yourself when it's hot.

We've put together the latest info for heart patients, vunerable people and the population in general on how to stay cool and safe in the current hot spell sweeping Britain.

You can read all about heatstroke and its implications on our main website

So what exactly is cardiac arrest?

We've expanded our information on cardiac arrest on our website after the death of singer Michael Jackson at the age of 50. He had reportedly suffered one at his home in Los Angeles.

There's often some confusion between cardiac arrest and a heart attack, but they are actually different things.

Cardiac arrest, which is when the heart stops pumping blood around the body because of a disturbance in the normal heart rhythm, can happen without any existing heart condition.

A heart attack can be one of the causes of cardiac arrest, but other causes can include such things as electrocution, bleeding, choking or a drugs overdose.

To find out more about cardiac arrest and heart attack please visit our website

If you would like to post a comment about Michael Jackson or cardiac arrest please do so below...

From capital to coast - beating heart disease together

A huge well done and thank you to the 27,000 cyclists who took part our London to Brighton Bike Ride in great weather yesterday.

Our annual 54-mile ride, Europe's largest charity bike event, on a scenic route through Surrey and Sussex has raised over £46m for our lifesaving work since it started.

Cyclists set off from south London at half-hourly intervals from 6am to 9am and began arriving on Brighton seafront from about 8.30am.

Since 1980, when we first became involved, over 650,000 riders have taken part. Most riders took about six hours to reach the finishing post.

Among those taking part was comedian and author Dave Gorman (pictured right), who completed the route in three hours and 59 minutes.

"I wanted to get under four hours," he said. "I'm really pleased I got up Ditchling Beacon. I'm officially fitter than I was four years ago when I did it last.

"It was brilliant that people came out to cheer. It's a great event to support the BHF."

BHF spokeswoman Tamara Bennett said: "The day has gone really, really well. The weather has been fantastic - dry and sunny but with enough cloud cover to stop people getting too hot."

See our Flickr photo gallery from L2B 2009

Follow the event as it unfolded on our Twitter feed

Did you take part in the Ride, or would you like to pay tribute to those who did? Then please post a comment below...

London to Brighton Bike Ride 2009 Pics and Messages

Take a look at our live coverage on Twitter and our online photo galleries on Flickr

Some great pics of people like John and Rob, doing London to Brighton for their seventh year - five years dressed as fat ladies!

They're doing it for Dad who was affected by heart disease.

Next year they're thinking about dressing up as married fat ladies!

Tell us your L2B story by posting a comment below...

Live coverage of London to Brighton 2009

We'll be tweeting the London to Brighton bike ride tomorrow live from the event. But we're not the only ones.

There will be a tweeting mayor - and we notice a few people have already started their coverage including @lazbash, @adec, and more...

If you'll be tweeting please use the hashtag #L2B and post a comment here with your twitter name.

To get the latest follow us on Twitter

Volunteer today!

This month is Volunteering Month at the BHF.

Volunteering is an incredibly rewarding experience – you can end up going to amazing places like Rhys Morgan who is organising a trip to Everest, doing great things for your community, meeting new people and improving your persuasive skills!

Jackie Brambles, host of ITV’s Loose Women, is lending her support to our campaign to get more people involved in volunteering for the BHF.

She says: “Giving a hand to the British Heart Foundation is a great way to support the charity and it can also be incredibly rewarding.

“There are so many ways you can get involved with supporting the lifesaving work of the BHF- from placing collection boxes and volunteering in a BHF Shop to organising your own event, such as a coffee morning. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll be able to take pride in the fact you’ve taken time to help the charity's work in saving lives and fighting heart disease.”

You can read more about volunteering for the BHF on our website

Screening now...

Our new series of six videos called Live With a Healthy Heart, about heart disease and risk factors for people with learning disabilities, is now available on our British Heart Foundation YouTube Channel. Here's the Introduction...

Out of Order trailer preview

Here's a sneak preview of a trailer for a new BHF campaign video podcast due out later this month...



Find out more about the campaign here

Pedal power hits Pompey

A record number of cyclists pedalled into action for the Round the Harbours Bike Ride in Portsmouth on Sunday - which meant a lot of valuable and much appreciated fundraising for us.

“It was an absolutely fantastic day," said the event organiser Melanie Blackman.

"The sun was shining - well, for most of the day - the participants 

were wonderful and the staff and volunteers that managed the four checkpoints did an incredible job.

"This was the 13th year for the Round the Harbours Bike Ride and it was a record breaker with over 1,300 fundraising heroes taking part. Now I'm very much looking forward to seeing those lifesaving funds come flooding in!”

BHF rides high thanks to Norwich Bike Ride

A round of applause for everyone who took part in the Norwich Bike Ride; a record 2,500 cyclists got on their bikes for our charity event on Sunday.

With a choice of a 50 or 100 mile course, this wasn't the easiest of challenges - particularly when you add some traditionally dreary British weather into the equation. But our intrepid riders didn't let it put them off - and for their reward, as they broke across the finish line, so did the sunshine!

Now in its tenth year, the course takes the riders through perfect cycling country with quiet roads and picturesque villages, so it's hardly surprising that so many people wanted to take part...

“The atmosphere was incredible," said event organiser Rob Cox. "We had people of all ages taking part from early teens to riders in their seventies. I spoke to a chap of 63 who did the 100 miles and he came over the finish line with a massive grin on his face. Many thanks to everyone involved.”

Glasgow subway a safer place thanks to us

Glasgow’s subway network will be a safer place thanks to an appeal from the British Heart Foundation Scotland.

The Subway operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is supporting the Saving Lives in Glasgow Appeal, which aims to raise £100,000 to provide one hundred life-saving defibrillators in key locations across the city.

Used to restart a person's heart when they suffer cardiac arrest, seven of these defibrillators will be placed in six key subway stations and Buchanan bus station - and initially 25 staff will be trained to use them

To support the Appeal visit bhf.org.uk/glasgowappeal or contact Carole Nicol on 0141 954 8542 or by email at nicolc@bhf.org.uk

Britain's top athletes team up for the BHF

After their big win at the 2008 Olympics, the British Yngling team's latest challenge might seem like a drop in the ocean - but it's still one that will make a big impact on home shores...

Gold medalists Sarah Webb, Sarah Ayton and Pippa Wilson - also known as "three blondes in a boat" - are among a team of athletes taking part in a mission to highlight the link between diet, lifestyle, sport and health and raise more than £100,000 to help us beat heart disease together.

For their particular challenge, the trio will be taking to dry land and treking from Land's End to John O'Groats, where they will be stopping off at schools along the route to present a health and fitness roadshow.

Before this particular mission sets off, Webb and fellow sportsperson Nick Dempsey, who came fourth in Beijing after winning bronze at the Athens Olympics, will be getting on their bikes for a 880-mile cycle ride. Starting this weekend, they are expected to pedal roughly 100 miles a day during the trek north from Cornwall to Scotland.

"This is a real challenge and something that I am really enjoying," Webb said. "It is a fantastic opportunity to raise money for a great cause in the British Heart Foundation but also show young people that they really can enjoy getting fit and enjoy sport."

Organised by Be Number 1, a website that helps raise financial support for aspiring British Olympians, Paralympians and world champions, other athletes taking part in the challenge include extreme runner Kevin Carr, 28, from Woolacombe, who is attempting to run a 1,111-mile cross-country route in just 21 days. There's also Jason Gill, who was disabled after falling more than 50ft in a rock-climbing accident in 1997, who will be hand-cycling the route.

Meanwhile, Robin Simpson, a 30-year-old commercial quantity surveyor from Leeds, will be trying to set his 12th endurance world record by cycling from John O'Groats to Land's End and back again. Finally, there's British kite-surfing champion Stephanie Bridge, who will kite-surf the 890 miles to John O'Groats by travelling up the west coast line of Britain this August.

Red Wharf puts our latest Jog into orbit

A sea of red-shirted joggers pounded the pavements of London's Canary Wharf yesterday for the 13th annual British Heart Foundation Canary Wharf Jog.

Crowds gathered as superb dance troupe Ascension Eagles started the entertainment, and celebrity couple Christine and Neil Hamilton joined in a warm-up session led by Reebok staff.

Then, as the Hamilton's cut the start tape and the klaxon sounded, more than 1000 joggers set off around the Wharf to complete up to five laps of the 1km circuit, raising thousands of pounds for to help us beat heart together.

The Jog is facilitated by Canary Wharf Group plc, and is now a major community event for people who live, work and study around east London.

One of last year's top fundraisers, Jacqui Ellis, an executive assistant to Howard Boville and Ben Burgess, was back to raise more money for us in support of her brother-in-law, who had a heart attack at the age of 55.

Jacqui said: “What I think has really worked this year is the fact that there are so many people from the British Heart Foundation, supporting and encouraging everyone as they jog along.

"It really has made a big difference to me. It's very encouraging and we have had some laughs along the way.”

Did you take part in the Jog, or did you turn out to watch? If so, share your experiences by posting a comment below.

And for details of more BHF events this summer go to bhf.org.uk/events

This just in...

Here's an excellent new inspirational video of our Heart Runners taking part in the recent BHF Knebworth House Jog 2009 (with a lively and uplifting soundtrack provided for us without charge by Moby) - we hope you enjoy it...

Pictures tell story of bids to beat heart disease

Our 2009 events season is now well and truly upon us, and already thousands of people have helped raise vital funds to help us beat heart disease together.

We've just posted some new photo galleries of recent events including the Calke Abbey Walk, Hadrian's Wall Hike and the White Peak Challenge Bike Ride (pictured right).

Check them out, together with inspiring photos from lots of other British Heart Foundation events and campaigns, on our online galleries at Flickr

If you want to help beat heart disease together, find out what events we've got coming up by checking out our special events website.