• Have a cake sale at work or school.
• Donate your unwanted clothes, mobile phones, household items direct to a BHF shop.
• Organise a team meal out and charge £5 extra on the ticket price.
• Have a raffle.
• give time as a volunteer
  

The list is endless. The effort is also amply rewarding for not only have you helped many 1000s of people, including yourself possibly, but you have raised awareness, hopefully a few smiles, given time as a volunteer, and a few pennies (ok, pounds!).

I get a lot of satisfaction from organising fund raising events but especially for the raising awareness. I like to dig out little known facts to show where money goes to help people or the various treatments available, for example.

Did you know that the Commercial collectors charge for their service of collecting unwanted items from your doorstep?

All of the BHF doorstep collections are carried out by clearly identified vans and drivers, and 100% of the profits help fight against heart disease.

Some charities who don't have high street shops form relationships with commercial collectors for profit. The commercial company keeps all the donated items and sells these overseas. The charity involved, in some cases, gets as little as 5% of the profit. 

It is vital commercial companies act responsibly and be transparent on their charity bags – particularly around how much profit the named charity will actually make from a collection.

The BHF Advice is -

• Take your donations directly into the charity shop you wish to support.
• Check charity bags and leaflets for information about how much of the proceeds from your items go to the charity.
• BHF Shops carry out doorstep collections using clearly identified vans and drivers. Ask the collector for identification if you’re not sure.
• If you’ve got some larger, good quality items you’d like to donate such as sofas, wardrobes, tables and beds – your local furniture & electrical store can arrange a free collection. Call your local store or book a collection online

Find out more about how commercial collectors are impacting our shops here.

What do your donations mean to the BHF?

• One pair of good quality shoes helps to provide information and support from a cardiac nurse on their Heart Helpline
• Two sofas can fund a hand held ECG machine meaning a patient can monitor their own heart from home.
• 22 dresses fund a BHF heart nurse for the day

Find out what you can (and can’t) donate


Now there, that was easy! you have just cleared some space in your wardrobe for some new treats for yourself! Thank you!

(information from the BHF)

Further to the initial GED post here is the update on the event of the 26th April. The letter and photos says it all! Well done everyone! I look forward to joining you all next time!

An online Donation from the event of £173, plus gift aided, has also been added. Superb bucket collection action!

Janine

Amazing, we had 52 runners, it poured with rain but no one dropped out.  We had lots of spectators including Board Directors.  Although we did not push the collection we still go around £150.

James Paton gave the speech, sweatshop gave us 50 x £5 vouchers and free pair running trainers (via James the Manager of Sweatshop).  We also provided refreshments courtesy of our onsite Restaurant caterer.  Plus they gave us 25% food discount vouchers.

We had 20 or so thank you emails, 6 people join our running club so far since the event and a few say they will be taking part next month.

I really can say that it was truly amazing and it just goes to show how popular Ged was one lady in particular Lisa (From ICT) was so excited to be part that even though she knew she could only plod round still took part despite the heavy rain.

Here's some photos.

Regards

 

Every year my car goes off for it's annual service and MOT. It is a legal requirement. My car is checked for any defects. These are put right, and keeps me and my passengers safe.

Sometimes I think oh this is such an unecessary expense. The cost of new tyres, another king pin snapped, light bulb is waning...all costs but all hidden dangers. Big noticeable problems and small hidden ones.

But should I really put a price on my life, and those who are in the car with me, or even others out on the roads and paths?

So why don't we do the same to our bodies? Why do we always wait to be ill before we go to the Doctors?  Why wait until it's too late? Our body alerts us to things starting to go wrong but we often ignore them as we don't want the hassle of going to the Doctors, or losing pay from taking time off work. Sometimes the niggle goes away and we forget, or we think we are fixed.
Hindsight is a magical quality, but it can't always save a life.

Eight years ago I lost 7 stone. I actually went to the Doctors for an MOT. I was at my fittest and healthiest so why did I go?
I wanted to have a check up to make sure I hadn't done any damage to myself losing the weight. I had done that slowly through sensible eating and exercise. I just felt it was something I should do. Lucky for me I did, or I may not be here now.

I, (the Rambling Duck), was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholestral. I was prescribed medication for both. I am now monitored to ensure that both the cholestral stays low and that my blood pressure doesn't spiral up. I have a herditary condition. I will always be on the tablets, despite my continued sensible eating and exercising, and trust me, I do more of that than ever before! High Blood Pressure is a silent killer.

By 45 of years of age both my Mother, Uncle and Grandfather had had their first heart attack, and thrombosis clots. By 50 my Mother had a stroke and Angina. By 55 my Uncle had lost his eye sight to high blood pressure problems. My Grand father had a number of heart operations. During both of my pregnancies I had pre-clampsia, yet after the children were born I was never monitored for any thing else related, or cause questioned. With my family history that surely suggests I am in for a similar roller coaster ride. I reflect on that in hind sight. But luckily I have already been to the Doctors. I have already had the hereditary condition I am predisposed to checked, comfirmed and medicated for. I have better chances and odds than my Mother, Uncle and Grandfather.

There are a few groups that actively encourage you to go to the Doctors for check ups. Do ask about any family medical history. This isn't a drama stop. Just a sensible precaution. Like the car, if you know it's previous history you are listening out for clues of breakdown. Like an MOT, a problem can be detected before it becomes a disaster.  Arrogance and/or ignorance is never a good indicator that you will always be well. You may be fit and go to the gym regularly, or run daily, or walk miles. You may have a sensible diet, drink in moderation and not smoke. But that doesn't exclude you from a variety of predisposed conditions or underlaying medical conditions.

Be wise, get wise and wise up!

Are you at risk? Why wait to find out?

Call your Doctor now.

Heart disease can be detected and monitored early. Read about some of the great research work at the British Heart  Foundation. In particular detecting and predicting early heart attacks. Without causing distress please also read and see the video about a heart attack.

It's not a curse of the older generation either. Every week in the UK at least 12 young people die suddenly from undiagnosed heart conditions. CRY was founded in 1995 to raise awareness of conditions that can lead to Young Sudden Cardiac Death (YSCD); Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS); SADS

CRY's Vision 2012:   to work with cardiologists and family doctors to promote and protect the cardiac health of our young by establishing good practice and screening facilities devoted to significantly reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death throughout the UK.

I will be writing more about CRY and the BHF initiatives to promote early detection of heart disease, keeping our hearts healthy and getting the petition signed for ELS in schools.

What is Emergency Life Support?

Emergency Life Support (ELS) is the set of actions needed to keep someone alive until professional help
arrives. It includes performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), dealing with choking, serious bleeding
and helping someone who may be having a heart attack.

What are we calling for?

• In England we are calling for ELS, including vital CPR, to be a mandatory part of the National Curriculum.
• In Wales we want to see ELS taught in every school as part of the National Curriculum.
• In Scotland we want to see ELS taught in every school as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.
• In Northern Ireland we want to see further investment aimed at raising awareness of, and access to, ELS skills in schools, workplaces and communities.
  

ELS is simple, and easy to teach and learn. It can be performed without any special medical knowledge. It
takes as little as two hours to teach, just 0.2% of a school year. In just two hours of their school life,
children can learn the skills to save a life.

Children of 10 years and above can learn the full range of ELS including vital CPR, and younger children are
also able to learn many of the skills. Teachers at primary school should be encouraged to teach their children
many of the skills including dialling 999, calling for help and checking for danger.

Why is ELS so important?
Evidence shows that around two thirds of cardiac arrests that occur outside of hospital occur in the home, and
that nearly half that occur in public are witnessed by bystanders. With each minute that passes in cardiac
arrest before defibrillation, chances of survival are reduced by about 10%. Immediate CPR in a shockable out
of hospital cardiac arrest can improve the chances of survival by up to a factor of three.

Public support for teaching ELS
In April 2011, we commissioned research to assess the views of children, parents and teachers on the idea of
teaching ELS to all secondary school pupils. The results showed strong public support.
OnePoll surveyed 2,072 parents across the UK, and found that 1,449 (70 per cent) thought that children
should be taught ELS at school. The support was higher still among children. 1,000 children in the UK aged
11-15 were asked whether thought they should be taught how to save someone‟s life in an emergency as part
of their lessons at school, and 778 (78 per cent) believed that they should.  Of the 500 teachers in the UK
survey, 428 (86 per cent) thought that ELS, including CPR, should be part of the curriculum in schools – only
25 (5 per cent) disagreed.

ELS isn’t just about stats and numbers. It really makes a difference.
Ask Keith Aston. At 69, he suffered a cardiac arrest whilst out riding his bicycle, and was kept alive in
the street by a passerby, Joanna Michaelides.

Joanna said of her experience “I am ordinary. I am not one of the many admirable
people who dedicate their lives to saving others. I just happened to learn CPR.
When Keith had his cardiac arrest, every person at that scene was desperate to
help him. I was just lucky that I could.
“People in the most part have the will to help and not harm. We want as many people as we can to learn
ELS. You never know – it could be the difference between life and death.”

How would this work in practice?
A number of organisations already successfully provide training and support for teachers so they can deliver ELS.

The BHF, for example, spends around £800k per annum on resources for teaching ELS, including
manikins, schools pack contents, and teacher supply cover. Community Resuscitation Development Officers
(CRDOs), established by the BHF, are developing community resuscitation programmes across their regions
within Ambulance Trusts, and deliver ELS training and support to teachers as part of the wider ambulance
service response.

Our vision is for every child to leave school knowing how to save a life
We are already behind many of our European neighbours – France, Denmark and Norway
all have lifesaving skills such as CPR as a mandatory part of their school curricula. They
have been using strategies ranging from self-learning with DVDs and manikins to structured
teaching – all as part of the curriculum.  Further afield, a recent statement on science by the
American Heart Association concludes that CPR training should be required for graduation
from secondary school.

By teaching children ELS at school, we can create a new generation of lifesavers.
Children learn and retain new skills more easily than adults and are also often present at emergencies.
We all learnt skills as children – how to ride a bike, playing a musical instrument, how to speak a foreign
language. Why not add „How to save a life‟ to that set of skills?

By teaching all children life-saving skills we can ensure that every child leaves school knowing how to save a life.

Sign the petition and find out how you can email your local politician about the campaign at bhf.org.uk/ELS

Copied from The BHF
 

Today is the funeral of Ged Clarke.

It is hard to think of ways of how to say Goodbye to a dear friend, husband, father, son, uncle, brother...
There is never a good time to die, even if too young or had sufficient time on this earth.
We never want to lose a loved one.

So, we shall say an Adieu. He remains in our heart, our thoughts, our memories, our photos.

Two significant songs have been chosen to be played at the funeral.

One of these songs is The Scientist, by Cold Play. There are many interpretations on the lyrics.
It can be a song about the chemistry and strength of love;
a song about forgiveness;
a song about starting over, making mistakes and acknowledging them;
a song about questions and analysing, chasing answers around.

Let me share this emotive piece of beautiful music... savour the words and the melody. The meaning and depth will change every time you hear them depending on your place, circumstance and mood. A song of many stories touching people in different ways. As Ged did.

"Nobody said it would be easy" but together we can all help make it easier, unified by the undeniable thought we all share that he is and was a wonderful man.

Come up to meet ya, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
And tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
Oh lets go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start

I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start

Oh ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ah ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Oh ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Oh ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh