Patients share stories in support of Heartbeat amidst charity's uncertain future

Patients supported by Heartbeat in Preston are sharing their stories in support of the charity, as it grapples with an uncertain future.

At the start of this month we told you the service is urgently seeking more financial support to continue its life changing work for nearly 1,000 people across Lancashire, from its base at Preston North End's Deepdale stadium.

The service has been offering rehabilitation programmes to people with heart problems for more than 45 years, but a challenging economic climate has seen donations slow and energy bills soar by £50,000 in the last year.

Alan Turner has been a member of Heartbeat since suffering a heart attack in 2016 and told us the charity has changed his life for the better: "This is the only place in the North West where there is a programme of rehabilitation after you've had a heart attack, otherwise you are released back into the wild - so to speak. Elsewhere in the country if you have a heart attack, you're given your medication and you have your check-ups whenever. They don't have rehabilitation programmes - It's quite scary really."

Heartbeat helps to recuperate those who've suffered heart problems by offering exercise classes aimed at recovering and maintaining heart health. Alan continued: "You start off on a programme to assess your fitness and then after 6-10 weeks you can come and join a class to start training. They have fantastic trainers who are well-up on resuscitation, so if you do have a funny turn, alarms go off and you feel so safe. They encourage you to try out different exercise regimes which are mostly cardio based to try and get your heart going again.

"I'm getting into running and they keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not exerting myself too much. We're a little family now. If you do have a heart attack and you have the opportunity to come to one of the Heartbeat classes, I recommend it without hesitation. You'll make friends, you'll get fit, they advise you on eating habits. I've lost 3 stone over the past couple of years and these guys do an amazing job."

Tony Iddon from Penwortham suffered a heart attack in his sleep in 2020. He was saved by his son who performed CPR until the ambulance came. He's told us he's regaining his fitness thanks to Heartbeat: "The staff give you the confidence to come and work out, push yourself a little bit and they'll tell you to back off when they feel that you need to.

"It was the start of the pandemic when it happened to me and there was no real interaction with other people, so when these classes started back up, I jumped on the chance to work out and for the social interaction. To be able to talk to other folk and get their experiences has been a massive help."

Heartbeat's services are available to anyone who's had a heart attack, heart surgery, any other vascular problem, or if they are at high risk of developing one, but it's feared their work could be brought to a premature end if more funding is not secured soon.

Heartbeat CEO Louise Bache said: "We are finding fundraising becoming more difficult with the cost of living rising for everyone and Heartbeat does not receive government funding, or NHS funding and we are not affiliated with the British Heart Foundation. Our funding relies 100% on voluntary donations from people who access our services, play our lottery, and take part in our fundraising events. We also receive support from local community groups and businesses as well as grant making bodies.

"We are looking for more businesses to support our charity through a variety of ways from volunteer days, fundraising events, and sponsorship of our classes. By raising funds and awareness; businesses and their staff can improve heart health and deliver real change in their community helping people to live healthier , happier lives with the ones they love."

You can support Heartbeat here.

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