Have the will power for BHF

AS CHIEF executive at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) I see first-hand the incredible impact gifts left in Wills make to the charity.

Research funded by the BHF has helped halve death rates from heart and circulatory diseases over the past 50 years and so much of our work has only been possible thanks to the amazing individuals who have remembered the BHF in their Will.

These special gifts fund more than a quarter of all cardiovascular research in the UK, which makes them incredibly important to help us beat heartbreak forever for the seven million people living with these conditions right now.

In the past year alone, residents in the south-east left over £16.4 million in their wills to the British Heart Foundation to help fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory disease, including heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia.

I would personally like to honour these people and express our gratitude for the research breakthroughs and thousands of lives they have helped to save, but there’s still so much more to do, and there are approximately 940,000 people in the south-east living with cardiovascular disease right now.

A gift of any size, after you’ve provided for your loved ones, will enable the BHF to continue to fund pioneering research to find future cures and treatments into heart and circulatory conditions.

A recent survey to support ‘will power’, the BHF’s campaign to encourage people to consider leaving a legacy in their will, showed that the British public would like to be remembered for their generosity, kindness and humour over their wealth or professional work achievements.

Seven in 10 of those asked said they wished they could do more to help others and a quarter said they wanted their will to improve the lives of others.

I would like to encourage those people to download our free wills guide and I must take the opportunity to thank all of the generous supporters – past, present and future – for their contributions to the BHF.

We couldn’t make medical breakthroughs such as heart transplants and pacemakers without your generosity and support and it is because of your support that we continue to fund £100 million of research into heart and circulatory conditions every year – thank you.

To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will and to download a free Wills guide, please visit bhf. org.uk/wills. Simon Gillespie Chief Executive British Heart Foundation