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...