Charity to celebrate nation’s ‘heart heroes’ for their lifesaving work

The British Heart Foundation will be honouring the fundraisers and advocates supporting its work at a glitzy bash tomorrow night.

These Heart Hero Awards, hosted by Vernon Kay, allow the charity to thank supporters of its mission towards ‘a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases’.

These awards bring together researchers, campaigners and advocates under the British Heart Foundation (BHF) banner every year.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the BHF, said: ‘The Heart Hero Awards honour the people at the heart of this mission — patients, families, researchers and fundraisers who inspire us to keep pushing forward.

‘They remind us what’s at stake: more time, more lives saved, and fewer families facing the pain of losing someone too soon.’

Last year’s Fundraising Hero Andy McKay had raised more than £200,000 for the charity after losing his daughter to cardiac fibrosis. He said: ‘Doing the fundraising makes me feel better about it and we are remembering Jenna, not that we are ever going to forget her.’

Founded in 1961 by a group of medical professionals, the charity is now the largest independent funder of research into cardiovascular disease working to understand its causes, treatment and prevention.

Tomorrow’s award ceremony comes amid a sobering backdrop that someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease every three minutes – the same amount of time it takes to make a cup of tea.

But some 42% of Brits still think heart disease symptoms only appear suddenly like in TV or film, and 21% believe that only those aged over 60 are at risk, according to a BHF survey.

They also found that 42% have never discussed cardiac health with a medical professional and around 64% of Brits are unsure of whether women’s heart attack symptoms are the same as men.

While people’s knowledge may be lacking, some 67% of those surveyed personally knew someone who has experienced heart disease.

There are more than 7.6million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK – and a quarter of all deaths in the country are caused by cardiac health issues.

This urgency was represented in September this year by a giant egg timer installed by the BHF on London Southbank to show the reality of one cardiovascular death every three minutes.

Lisa McGrillis, an actress known for her role in Rivals, unveiled the timer and said: ‘There’s so much misunderstanding around heart health, and it’s on all of us to learn more.

‘Unveiling the British Heart Foundation’s timer is a real privilege – it’s a way to make the invisible killer that is heart disease a little more visible.’

The BHF’s strategy includes researching prevention through scientific advancements, better investment in cardiovascular research and ensuring health systems improve their care for patients with heart conditions.

Its report from 2025 shows the charity spent £197.5million this year – which was made up of £108.4million on research, £47.2million on health information and £51.4million in growing their income.

Progress from BHF-funded research has seen safer monitoring for children with a dangerous heart condition and exploration of using AI to reduce underdiagnosis in Black patients.

These achievements were down to their record-breaking income of £181million, which chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said would not be possible without their ‘community of researchers, volunteers, colleagues, fundraisers, and partners’.

Heroes like these will be at tomorrow’s ceremony and Dr Griffiths has said their nominees are ‘some of the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory conditions — still waiting for the breakthroughs that could change everything’.

She added: ‘This Christmas, the British Heart Foundation is urging people to donate to help fund lifesaving research into cardiovascular disease.

‘The more we can discover, thanks to the public’s support, the more lives can be saved — and give people many more Christmases with their loved ones.’

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