Staying stubbed out in 2008

Given up cigarettes for New Year, but finding it pretty tough going after a week or so without?

Then have a watch of Penny's Story, below, another of the great video clips from our Risking It DVD about smoking and the dangers posed to your heart and health.

It's an inspiring tale - in that you may find it's not as difficult to stop and stay stopped as you think - plus the long term benefits are pretty compelling. There's more online help and info too at bhf.org.uk/smoking



There are more Risking It clips on our BHF Video Channel

Are you Risking It?

Below is a video clip from our great new DVD Risking It which looks at the major risk factors which can lead to heart disease, such as smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and being overweight.

The DVD tells the stories of five people - Becky, Bill, Julian, Penny and Ricky - who each have one or more of the key risk factors, and shows how they attempt to adapt their lifestyles to keep heart disease at bay.

You can see further clips from the DVD on the BHF Video Channel on You Tube - or you can order your own copy of it from the main BHF website for a suggested donation of £5. Here's the first clip...

Get on your bike!

Is one of your New Year's Resolution to get fit for 2008?

We have a great idea for you. Cycle from London to Brighton this June and help raise money for us.

We receive thousands of enquiries about participating in our London to Brighton bike ride - it's one of our most popular events and it makes a great day out.

There are only 27,000 spaces for the ride due to safety reasons - find out all you need to know here

We also have a great FAQ page - find out more

Strike a pose

A group of Fitness First staff who work in Whitefield are featuring in a 2008 calendar with all proceeds being donated to us.

The calendars are proving extremely popular, with regular members only too happy to help raise money.

The girls involved in the calendar wanted to do something different to raise funds and discovered that no other Fitness First branch had done anything like this before.

Staff member Stacey Stott (21), who lives in Oldham, features on the September page. Quote taken from http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk

"They have been really popular so far and we are hoping we can raise quite a lot of money for the British Heart Foundation.

"We've had quite a few people coming in asking about them and, hopefully, more people will see it in the Guide and come in to buy theirs."

Read the full story here

Recycle your way into 2008

Is one of your New Year resolutions to be more green for 2008? Well you can help the environment and us by recycling your mobile phones and ink jet cartridges.

Did you know that 60 million inkjet cartridges are used each year in the UK and only about 10% are recycled?

We have teamed up with Environmental Business solutions and receive £1 per inkjet and laser cartridge - all you have to do is pop them into an envelope and send it on. Find out more

Laser cartridges can be recycled by calling free phone number 0800 435576 and registering your company. Your empty cartridges will be collected free of charge.

There are as many unused mobile phones as there are people in the UK – 60 million. Mobile phones can be recycled by putting them in a special freepost envelope and sending them off for free.

Simply call Maria at Greener Solutions on 020 8274 4040 or send an e-mail to bhf@greenersolutions.com to request a freepost envelope. Find out more

Find out about other ways you can help the BHF through shopping with our different partners - more here

Heart HelpLine TV advert - coming to a surgery near you!

Our Heart HelpLine will be advertised in doctor's surgeries throughout the month of January. We want to encourage people to call the line so that we can help support them with their heart health concerns.

The ad shows a heart-shaped stress ball being squeezed by a hand to the sound of a heartbeat. Questions such as ‘Will my heart tablets have side effects?’ and ‘Who can I talk to about my Dad dying?’ are revealed at each beat.

Our cardiac nurses and information officers on the Heart HelpLine can provide you with the information that can help to support any medical advice that you have already received from your GP or consultant.

Call us on 08450 70 80 70 - lines are open 9am-5pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and 8am-6pm Wednesdays and Thursdays (all calls charged at a local rate).

Listen Up

About to set out on a healthy walk to kick off the New Year? Or maybe you're just back to the daily commute?

Whatever you're up to, why not liven up your trip by downloading our latest podcasts.

Keeping your Heart Healthy is packed full of ideas on how to exercise and eat for a healthy heart.

Risking It explains how to find out if you're at risk from heart disease.

Details on how to download all of our free podcasts are on our main website.