Red is for your heart

It's National Wear Red Day, and there's no better time to think about why we're putting on our best red frock or why we ironed that red shirt. Heart disease affects so many people - walk down any street in the UK and you will find people affected by it.

Meet Niamh and Joseph Edmunds. They're doing a 5 mile sponsored walk for their Granddad, Bob Rigby, who died late last year of heart complications. He was 81. Dad Paul says:

"The Staff, nurses and surgeons were brilliant at Liverpool heart hospital where he had an 8 hour operation and then was taken down for another 3 hour operation.

"He was a big supporter of charities, especially the British Heart Foundation. He was a great Dad and Granddad and Father-in-law, he was kind, thoughtful and is missed very much."

They've raised a brilliant £350 so far and there's still more to collect!

Joseph, Niamh, Mum Liz and Dad Paul would like to say a very special thank you to all the staff, doctors and nurses at Southport and District hospital for all of their very hard work that they do. Also a very, very big thank you for the surgeons at Liverpool Heart hospital for their hard work in looking after a very special man and doing all that they could to help make him better.

We want to thank everyone out there who's wearing red, having bake sales, jumping rope, running marathons, riding bikes, and climbing hills, volunteering in our shops, sharing their experiences, and with what they know, comforting others.

Together we can beat heart disease.

• Tell us why you're going Red for Heart on Facebook
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Red alert

The city of Lincoln might be in for a treat (weather permitting!) for Wear Red Day tomorrow! The Red Arrows will be painting the skies red with one of their famous heart shape formations.

We haven't got a time yet (we'll try to announce it on Facebook), but the best place to see this amazing display will be in the city centre with a clear view north over the city into the skyline above the Cathedral.

Red 6 Flight Lieutenant Mike Ling says: “We are still in our training season at the moment, so we're still perfecting the Heart manoeuvre. However, we will feel especially proud to be practising it on Friday in recognition of National Heart Month and Wear Red Day, and the incredible work that the British Heart Foundation does in fighting heart disease.”

National Heart Month - just one week left!

We hope you're all as excited as we are to be part of National Heart Month. The BHF offices will be joining in with Wear Red Day on the 26th February, and we hope you are too! There's so many fun things you can do, and if you're low on inspiration have a look at all the great things everyone else is planning.

Amanda went red for her daughter, Victoria: "She underwent surgery for an unexpected heart condition at just 21 years old, and has since made a great recovery. We had a red party at home and asked people to interpret red however they wanted – the photo shows how inventive they were feeling! We had a great night and raised £750 for the BHF."

And if you, your colleagues or your friends need any more convincing, take a look at this lovely video and see what we're fighting for!

And if celebs are your thing, you'll be joining Kelly, Sharon and Ozzy if you wear red on Friday 26th February! There are so many exciting things going on, why not add yours to the mix?

Getting creative for National Heart Month!

We get so many people doing wonderfully creative things to help us raise money and fight heart disease! For instance, loads of brilliant local bands and solo artists are putting their heart and soul into making singles for us.

Here's just a sample of their talent...

Miccoli - Angels & Demons



Two of Miccoli's band members have personal experience with heart disease - they have a condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

Knock Twice - I Heart You



Formed by a local fundraiser, Knock Twice released this single for Valentine's day! Good luck to them in their fundraising efforts.

Every penny you raise to help us beat heart disease is appreciated. Thank you for all your hard work so far in National Heart Month, and don't forget to Wear Red on 26 February!

The party perspective

The leaders of the UK's three main political parties, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg have all taken time out of their busy pre-election schedules to answer some probing questions on what they're going to do about heart health.

Find out who the Prime Minister would write a love note too, how the Conservative party leader keeps his heart in shape, and how Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg would help address how different areas of the UK have such wildly different standards of health care.

We asked everyone the same questions so you can find out exactly what the big parties are planning for heart patients.

Download the interviews with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg now!

Helping you care for your heart

Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (PCT) has commissioned a new website called Caring for your Heart, which we think will be really useful for everyone.

It's been specially designed to help people of Muslim faith understand how to look after their hearts better. There are helpful videos in English, Urdu and Punjabi and a wealth of advice on how to eat better and exercise more.

Not many people know that South Asian people living in the UK have a higher risk of heart disease than the rest of the UK population. The web is full of exercise and diet ideas, but tips that apply to Western readers might not always be suitable.

Caring for your Heart is full of ideas on how to tackle heart disease. They recommend little ways to change your diet:

"Foods recommended in the Qur'an include fruit, vegetables, lentils, fish, dates, olives, figs, garlic and ginger. Try using olive oil or rapeseed oil instead of ghee and using wholemeal atta for chapatis. Having smaller portions on your plate will help you lose weight. Try to have rice or chapatis and not both at the same time."

They also have some very sensible tips on how to make exercise easy.

You can share your experiences too, and help other people start exercising and eating better!

The British Heart Foundation has a good range of heart health leaflets and magazines available in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu and Punjabi. So if your family is affected by heart disease or you just want to start cooking healthier recipes, we can help.

Make a note of Friday 26 February - it's National Wear Red Day!

February is National Heart Month and we’ve got a stack of exciting things coming up to celebrate it!

You can get involved too by doing something red at work, school or home.

Last year, Amanda and her friends got in the spirit and had a great time...

"We went red for my daughter Victoria, who underwent surgery for an unexpected heart condition at just 21 years old, and has since made a great recovery.

"We had a red party at home and asked people to interpret red however they wanted - the photo shows how inventive they were feeling. We had a great night and raised £750 for the BHF."

What will you do this year? Anything you like, as it happens!

Join National Wear Red Day on Friday 26 February. Bake red cakes. Paint your face red. Anything goes as long as it’s red.

Get your free fundraising kit at bhf.org.uk/red or call 0845 241 0976.