On your marks for London to Brighton 2009!

For the first time ever, we're pleased to announce that this year you'll be able to register online for the nation's favourite charity cycling event, our own London to Brighton Bike Ride which takes place on Sunday 21 June.

Entrants to most other BHF bike rides have enjoyed online registration facilities for several years, but with around 27,000 participants in London to Brighton it's a much bigger undertaking than our other smaller, regionally-based events.

A number of L2B entrants who have qualified for priority places in this year's ride - by raising £125 or more in last year's event - have been using the new online registration system successfully since last month.

Standard place online registration starts from 1 March and you will be able to access it then at
bhf.org.uk/london-brighton

Find out more about the ride, how you can enter offline, plus see videos, photos and reports from the 2008 event, in our London to Brighton Bike Ride section

Have you ever taken part in the ride, and would you like to recommend anyone else to do it?
Do you have any training tips or fundraising advice etc?
If so, please leave a comment below...

So what makes you go red?

We've just had a survey carried out of almost 2,000 adults across the UK - to find out the things most likely to make them go red.

It is of course National Heart Month, and we're trying to get you to go
Red for Heart

There's lots of ways you can do this in a deliberate manner. But what about those situations where you just can't help yourself blushing?

Well, straight in at number one, causing the most embarrassment with 59% of the vote, is waving back at someone who wasn’t actually waving at you in the first place.

At number two, with 29%, is expressing your love for someone, with men admitting to finding it much harder to voice their romantic feelings than women.

And a close runner-up at number three, with 28%, is someone commenting on your weight, which came out as a largely female hang-up.

Among other things that make us go red are farting, undressing or singing in front of a partner. A large number of people declared their stomachs the most embarrassing body part.

And overall, 56% of us recall turning red up to three times a week on average.

So there you have it, the nation's secret embarrassments revealed...

Let us know what makes you go red by posting a comment below!

Our petition - a cut above the rest

Today we're calling for a new Government plan for heart health in England and are asking you to sign our petition.

Our petition is available online of course! But there's also a paper version (right) in all our high street shops in England.

If you come across it please sign it - but also take a closer look at the cover.

Here on the blog we can exclusively reveal how it was done...

As you can see there was a lot of cutting involved! We hope our scissor work was worth it.

Sign new heart plan petition

More about our campaigns

Change not as good as a rest - at least for your heart

Sometimes change is good - but not it seems when it comes to heart health and women.

Latest BHF-funded research shows that major life changes can affect the amount of physical activity women do.

Starting work, a change in relationship such as getting married and becoming a parent all saw women doing less physical activity according to a team of researchers from the Department of Public Health at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Steve Allender study author from the University of Oxford said: “It is clear that these key life changes affect the amount of physical activity undertaken by women. A decrease in physical activity can contribute to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, back pain, poor joint mobility and psychosocial problems. The effects on our health must not be underestimated."

You can find out more about heart disease and women on our website.

Plus information on how to get active.

Seeing Red This Morning

This week our RISK nurses were invited by ITV's This Morning to run a Heart Health Clinic outside London Television Studios.

The morning was a great success. BHF Nurse Peter Smith describes the day:

"We were thrilled when This Morning wanted to support the British Heart Foundation in our National Heart Month!

It was a cold but thankfully clear day (no snow!) and we saw over 30 people while the show was on air.

As part of our Red for Heart campaign we are asking people to wear red - Philip Scofield wore a red shirt and Christopher Biggins sported some bright red trousers and scarf! Brilliant to have their support.

We could not have asked for a better day - the show covered not only information on heart disease but also how to lead a healthier lifestyle - with Phil Vickery cooking up some tasty heart friendly food! It smelt delicious!"

Find out more about Red for Heart

Assess your health with our online calculators

A better future in paper

Our Advocacy Team has been working hard on an exciting new campaign which launches next week - and they’ll need your help to make it a success!

Take a look at the picture, right, to get a sneaky preview.

Intrigued? Pop into a BHF Shop from Monday 16 February or visit our main website to find out what the new campaign is all about - and how you can get involved.
Find your nearest BHF Shop here

Visit our campaign section for the latest on our work.

Can you guess what it is? If so, please post a comment below and let us know your guess!

So who says Friday the 13th has to be unlucky?

You may or may not be aware that this Friday, the 13th of February, is officially National Wear Red Day.

As part of our National Heart Month, Wear Red Day aims to raise vital funds for us to fight the UK’s biggest killer - heart and circulatory disease.

We'd like to invite you all to have your own Wear Red Day at work, school or with friends and family.

We’ll send you all the posters, stickers, a collection box and plenty of ideas that you'll need to have a great big Red day!

To get your free Fundraising Kit today, please go to bhf.org.uk/red

You can also download posters and be inspired by photos from other events.

National Wear Red Day is a great way to have fun and help save lives at the same time.

So who says Friday the 13th has to be unlucky!

Let us know if you're planning anything by posting a comment below...

Gabby goes red for heart

Six Nations TV presenter Gabby Logan is backing our Red for Heart campaign.

Gabby gave London Welsh rugby players (Left to right) Tom Audley, Nick Runciman and Gavin O’Meara a lift in our Red for Heart taxi.

Gabby says: “February is National Heart Month and I will be wearing red in memory of my brother. People should join the Red for Heart campaign because the British Heart Foundation relies entirely on donations to continue their life-saving work.”

Order your Red for Heart fundraising pack today

See more Red for Heart pictures

Be my Valentine

Can we remind all you romantics out there to check out our great range of Valentine's gifts for that special someone in your life.

This year our online shop has something for everyone - from the classic heart shaped photo frame to our pretty charm bracelet and for the practical type, a heart-shaped USB stick.

Order now to ensure that your gift arrives in time...

Red all about it yet?

As you may or may not be aware, February is National Heart Month.

We're asking people to go Red for Heart this month, and the reasons why - and how you go about it - are pretty clearly spelled out in our special campaign video podcast, which you can watch below.



You can see what everyone else is up to either by checking out our Red for Heart page on Facebook or browsing our Red for Heart photo gallery on Flickr

Our Red for Heart website has more on how to order a fundraising pack, find and buy Red products online or in the High Street - or simply to make a donation to support our pioneering, life-saving research work.

Tell us and everyone else what you're planning to get up to - anything Red goes! - by posting a comment below...

My heart belongs to Corby

Our Love Notes prove ever popular as Health Minister Phil Hope stopped by a BHF shop to buy a Love Note and support National Heart Month.

The MP opted for a populist message, penning 'I love Corby' on a his heart shaped note.

For a £1 donation, you can write a message to friends, family, pets or anything your heart desires and display it in the window for all to see.

Our Love Notes scheme is one of many fundraising events happening across the UK during National Heart Month. Find out how you can support the BHF on our Red for Heart website.

And don't forget to tell us what you've been up to...

National Heart Month is here!

February is National Heart Month and your opportunity to save lives by raising money for our pioneering work.

We're asking our supporters to go Red for Heart ( a bit like York Minster pictured right). Anything goes - wear red, buy red, go red on facebook.

We've got loads of fundraising ideas on our website and you can order one of our red fundraising packs.

And when you've completed your red event make sure you send us your pictures to add to our Red for Heart gallery on Flickr.

Have fun!