Active Hearts has held a fundraising event to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Active Hearts is a structured exercise cardiac rehabilitation programme run by Cardiff Council and funded by the Welsh Assembly Government that helps improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.
In celebration of the scheme, 50 Active Heart patients have successfully taken part in 3km, 5km, 7km and 10km triathlons held at Llanishen Leisure Centre, STAR Centre and Western Leisure Centre, raising an amazing £3,422 for BHF. The participants were presented with certificates and the money was presented to the British Heart Foundation’s representative, Glenda Meakin.
The scheme consists of a 16 week structured programme made up of various exercises within a circuit class or gym. The programme is designed to meet each of the patients needs to help recovery after a heart attack or heart surgery which helps to prevent future hospital stays, addresses risk factors that lead to coronary artery disease and allows the patients to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.
People of all ages on the scheme benefit from cardiac rehabilitation and the lifestyle changes can improve overall health and prevent future heart problems and even death. In fact, older adults with heart disease often are less able to exercise and have higher disability rate, they may benefit most from a cardiac rehab programme. As bed rest is no longer recommended for people with serious heart problems, initial and ongoing evaluation helps our qualified instructors Rhian Penikett and Kim Ward to assess the patient’s physical and psychological abilities ensuring that the programme is safe and effective. The patients receive ongoing support and education on making lifestyle changes as part of the scheme.
Cllr Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said “I am pleased that Cardiff Council is able to provide a cardiac rehabilitation programme which plays an important part of the recovery process for individuals with heart problems and helps to improve overall health and wellbeing. The event proved to be a huge success, not only for raising essential funds for BHF but also for cardiac patients to interact with each other in their local council facilities. I would like to thank the participants for taking part in this worthwhile cause.”
Glenda Meakin from the British Heart Foundation said: “We are most grateful to instructors Rhian and Kim for organising this fundraising event and for everybody at Active Hearts who took part so enthusiastically. This fantastic sum of money will be dedicated to the Cardiff Heart Nurse Appeal which is aiming to raise £125,000 to support and develop a BHF Heart Failure specialist nurse based at the University Hospital in Wales, Cardiff. Heart Failure is life limiting and our nurses help patients and their carers to manage the condition and achieve a better quality of life. Our congratulations and thanks go to everybody at Active Hearts for a very successful event.”
To find out more information about the Active Hearts programme, please contact Dave Penikett on 029 2066 2104.
