Latest News

Charity Grants

Around the middle of 2007 the charity applied to the Big Lottery Fund for grant assistance to re-develop the "Outreach" Gym at Wallasey Fire Station. This bid was successful and received a grant of £44 000.00 and together with a £3 000.00 grant from the Pilkington Charitable Foundation, these grants will enable us to develop a larger gym which will greatly benefit the many ex-patients from the Wirral Heart Support Centre who use the facility.

We are planning to extend the use of the gym to ladies from the local Asian community who have heart health problems. Work has recently commenced on the project and we are hoping to have the new gym "up and running" in April 2008

Annual Clay Pigeon Shoot and Christmas Social / Disco

These proved very successful yet again and these two events alone raised over £2 000.00

Fund Raising Events for 2008

We are in the course of planning events for 2008.

Wirral Heart Beat Volunteers (and their families/friends) will be taking part in the annual 15 mile Wirral Coastal Walk in May. Sponsorship forms are available from Derek Noble (0151 652 2200).

Other Likely Events To Include:

Visit to the Lake District Country & Western Evening

Visit to the Wye Brewery Clay Pigeon Shoot

Quiz Night Casino Evening

Garden Party Christmas Social / Disco

The dates for these events will be advised as soon as possible.

In addition, we are planning charity store collections at a number of local supermarkets.

New Defibrillator For Wirral Heart Support Centre

Thanks to the generosity of local people who have supported WIRRAL HEART Beat’s charity collections at ASDA, MORRISON, SAINSBURY and TESCO supermarkets across Wirral, our Charity is donating a new "state of the art" defibrillator to Wirral Heart Support Centre (Wirral PCT).

This new defibrillator - costing over £2000.00 - has been purchased from Beaver Medical Limited and will be installed in the Heart Support Centre in the near future.

WIRRAL HEART BEAT is proud to support the excellent work of Wirral Heart Support Centre - one of the UK's leading cardiac rehabilitation centre's - and would like to acknowledge the many kind donations from all the good people of Wirral. Our thanks must also go to our "trusty band" of Volunteers who regularly brave the rain and wind to "rattle the tin" for WIRRAL HEART BEAT during store collections and who take part in our Charity's fund raising activities.

Photo - Frieda Rimmer (Clinical Manager) Wirral Heart Support Centre being

presented with a new "state of the art" defibrillator by Derek Noble of

Wirral Heart Beat.

The money to purchase the defibrillator has been raised by Wirral Heart

Beat as a result of recent store collections at local supermarkets,

together with generous donations from patients who have attended the Heart

Support Centre.

Store collections play a major part in Wirral Heart Beat's fund raising

activities - we are grateful for the support of local supermarkets and

their customers.

Donation From Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation

Thanks to a very generous donation of £1120.00 from the Yorkshire Building Society's Charitable Foundation, WIRRAL HEART BEAT have been able to purchase a new "Technogym 600 Ergonomic" exercise cycle.

This new piece of exercise equipment has been installed at our Charity's "Outreach" gym at West Kirby Fire Station where it is being used by ex-patients from Wirral Heart Support Centre and - of course - the Firefighters based at the Fire Station.

Derek Noble, Chairman of Wirral Heart Beat, said "We are extremely grateful for the Foundation's generous donation. The new cycle will greatly benefit the many ex-patients - who have suffered heart attacks or who may have heart related health problems - who regularly use the "Outreach" gym following completion of their cardiac rehabilitation programme at Wirral Heart Support Centre."

Hoylake Choral Society

Presentation of a cheque for £575 raised by Hoylake Choral Society as a result of a Christmas Carol Concert for Wirral Heart Beat.

This generous donation will be used to provide exercise equipment at the Charity's "Outreach" Gym at West Kirby Community Fire Station.

From Parkgate to Peru

Chris Stones' 50 kilometre "trek" in the Andes.

Chris successfully completed her gruelling "trek" through the Andes and raised over £3,500 for our charity's funds.

The photogragh shows Chris being presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from Dave Somerville (Wirral Heart Beat's Volunteer Gym Supervisor) at our Chrity's "outreach " Gym in Heswall Fire Station.

The money which Chris has raised will be used by Wirral Heart Beat to provide Wirral Heart Support Centre Birkenhead, with further medical equipment which will directly benefit patients attending the Centre.

Well done Chris - your determination and valiant efforts are greatly appreciated.

Presentation of Long Service Awards

On 5 December 2006, the Mayor of Wirral (Councillor Peter Johnson) presented a number of our Volunteers with Long Service Awards.

Maurice Keen and Hazel Roberts received certificates for over 10 years of voluntary service with Wirral Heart Beat.

Les Owens and Dave Somerville received their awards for over 5 years of volunteer work with our Charity.

Grant Awards 2007

During the past few weeks, our Charity has been fortuante to obtain grant assistance from HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland) and the Yorkshire Building Society's Charitable Foundations. These very generous grants totalled over £3500.00 and will enable Wirral Heart Beat to provide further cardiac exercise equipment for a number of the "Outreach" gyms (operated in Wirral Fire Stations).

Currently the "Outreach" gyms are receiving some 1400/1500 "visits" each month from patients who have completed their cardiac rehabilitation programme at the Wirral Heart Support Centre.

Our "Outreach" gyms project is proving to be a major success, and we would encourage other heart support groups throughout the United Kingdom to liaise with their local cardiac rehabilitation unit and fire service to provide similar facilities in their own area.

Wirral Heart Beat is more than willing to provide information to any heart health charity with objectives similar to our own.

Further details about these and other events will be posted on our web site in due course.

If you want more information or are able to offer prizes or sponsorship, email us at info@wirralheartbeat.org.uk