The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a long-standing charity which has assisted in groundbreaking improvements in heart health and supporting those affected by providing a network for patients and families. Some successes that BHF has been part of include innovative treatments for heart attacks, pioneering defibrillators in ambulances, funding development of blood test to diagnose heart attacks and much more. This innovation wouldn’t be possible without donations, by creating more fundraising opportunities we are creating more chances to prevent heart disease and improve the care of those affected by it. As well as raising money, by creating outreach opportunities we can extend the work of the BHF by educating more people on how to keep their heart healthy.
We would like to develop a society that students can come to learn about CPR to educate more students in this essential life skill, in addition to working towards gaining student engagement in volunteering opportunities with the BHF and providing them with a network of people to support them in their volunteering goals. We will aim to educate as many people as possible to raise awareness and fight against heart and circulatory diseases.
On a personal level for members of the society, benefits include opportunities to develop/demonstrate public and science communication skills. Charity work can be a great opportunity to demonstrate commitment to something outside of university work which can be attractive to employers. As a society we will aim to be flexible with members so that everyone can get involved with opportunities which suit them and fit around existing commitments. In addition, the BHF has an amazing network of people that students will be able to talk to and engage with, allowing them to reach out to collaborators of the BHF and make connections that may not be available elsewhere.
This society was successful previously, raised impressive donations for the BHF and has a track record of community outreach events including CPR education for sports societies. During the COVID-19 pandemic the society shut down due to current members graduating and no on-campus opportunities to recruit new ones. There are currently no LUU societies which support the BHF and we would like to step into this role. We have also successfully run a bake sale within LICAMM (our research institute) in September 2023, raising £324.27 going directly to the British Heart Foundation. This was a student-led event which was appreciated by both students and staff and we are looking forward to expanding across campus to allow all students access to our events.
