Trio put their heart into aiding charity
Ray, Susan and Veena helped to set up Hinckley fundraising group
AS part of national Volunteers Week the British Heart Foundation (BHF) are celebrating the work of their committed volunteers from across the country. A dedicated group of volunteers in Hinckley - Ray Groombridge, Susan Barden Marshall and Veena Kalyan - all came together to help accelerate the fight against heart disease by forming the ‘BHF Hinckley Fundraising Group’ to raise money for lifesaving research.
Ray Groombridge, 70, from Hinckley joined the local group as he had a heart attack in 2017.
He said: “I was a very active person who liked going up mountains both in the UK and Europe, mountain biking and gardening. However, my heart attack put a stop to all of that.
“I like to keep active, so when I heard about a new fundraising group being set up locally in Hinckley I wanted to be involved as it is a great way to raise awareness of heart disease and heart health locally. I would love people of all ages in Hinckley to get involved and become more aware of ways to prevent heart disease and fight for every heartbeat.”
Group member, Susan Barden-Marshall also got involved as heart disease had taken away a loved one.
She said: “My husband fought heart disease for almost 30 years. Unfortunately he lost his battle in January last year at the age of 70.
“We had supported the British Heart Foundation by donating stock to our local shop and organising fundraising events.
“I believe the ground breaking research funded by the BHF enabled my husband to prolong his life and enabled him to have the opportunity to see his children grow up, get married and have children of their own.
“Heart disease can affect anyone, and I hope that by joining the new group and helping to raise funds will fund vital research and raise awareness to enable more families to have the opportunity to spend that precious time with their loved ones.”
Veena Kalyan also of Hinckley has worked for the BHF for a number of years. She said: “I have seen where donations go towards research and the impact it has, I joined the Hinckley Fundraising Group as I hope that we can raise vital funds locally for life breaking research so one day we will beat heart disease for good.”
There are currently over 250 fundraising groups across the UK representing the BHF in their local communities, with over 1,700 volunteers.
From running fundraising events to supporting schools and local businesses or organising collections, it’s a great way to get involved and raise funds for heart research.
The money raised by BHF volunteers helps fund ground-breaking discoveries and identify new treatments that could help save more people from the devastating effects of heart disease.
Carrie Seaton, BHF Fundraising Manager for Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Hinckley Fundraising Group for all their hard work with the BHF. We are extremely grateful to all our invaluable supporters, like Ray, Susan and Veena who are committed to the cause.
“Heart and circulatory disease affects around 7 million people in the UK, however around 11,900 people in Hinckley are fighting their daily battles with heart and circulatory disease. Heart and circulatory disease kills nearly 260 people each year in Hinckley – nearly a quarter of them before the age of 75.
“And every day in the county three people die from a heart attack. Without our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to do the research we do in order to save lives. We are encouraging members of the local community to come forward and start their volunteering journey and become part of the BHF community.”
If you like the idea of turning your spare time into lifesaving research, or for more information on joining the Hinckley volunteer group or starting a group up in your area visit www.bhf.org.uk/volunteer or email communityvolunteer@bhf.org.uk