Article 1 February 2023

National Heart Month: Four Ways to give our hearts some love

February is National Heart Month, a month to focus on our hearts and what we can do to keep them healthy. Let’s give our hearts some love.

Every three minutes in the UK, somebody’s loved one dies of a heart or circulatory disease. In some cases, the disease strikes without warning. These conditions are indiscriminate. They can affect the young, the old, the fit, and the seemingly healthy.

British Heart Foundation (BHF) is one of our partner charities. You can help support the great work it does to support lifesaving research into heart and circulatory disease. 

How can you get involved?

1. Hold a ‘Go Red’ day. Encourage everyone to wear something red, bring in red foods, and donate to British Heart Foundation. Valentine’s Day, 14 February, is a popular day for this event but you can do it whenever suits you and your colleagues.
   
   
2. Use your volunteering hours to Give Back and support British Heart Foundation.
   
   ​​​​​​​Support in their UK shops – Retail is the British Heart Foundations largest income generator and with volunteer numbers still lower than pre-pandemic, they desperately need our help! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Sign up for BHF’s retail days, and click here to find out more
   
   Start line Recycling Champions – TCS London Marathon – 23 April 2023 – BHF have again been invited to be the London Marathon company partner in the collection of waste clothing at the start line. This helps raise much needed funds for the BHF once the clothing is processed and sold in their network of shops. Last year, it is estimated that clothing and other items collected at the start line raised around £20,000.  You may be asked to help out with one or more of the below during your volunteering: Helping to identify donation points to runners, collecting clothing along the start line or in the holding pens, bagging clothing and stacking ready for collection by our vans.
   
   Sign up and find out more > View Opportunity > British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk)
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3. Improve your own heart health. Here are some great places to start:
   • 3 exercises that are best for heart health (from BHF)
   • Heart Matters recipes (from BHF)
   • Healthy living (one of our own elearning modules: it takes about 15 minutes)
     
4. Learn how to give CPR – it could help save someone’s life. Many of us will witness a cardiac arrest in our lifetime. You can be ready for that day by learning lifesaving CPR in just 15 minutes. Check out BHF’s fast, free and easy-to-use online training course.

If you’re doing something for National Heart Month and have a story to share, let us know!