Painting the town red
National Heart Month
How could we make a difference?
National Heart Month is the chance to really turn the spotlight on
heart disease and motivate the country to get involved and get
healthy. We wanted people to:
- Be more aware of heart disease and the support we offer
- Look after their heart health
- Support our work through our Red for Heart campaign
How we did it
Some remarkable heart patients and their families starred in our
TV, radio and newspaper advertising campaign. The campaign extended
to BHF Shops and social media sites. Over five million leaflets
were sent out.
We encouraged people to order our free Heart Information Pack,
which was full of health advice. We promoted Heart Matters, a free
support service. We also launched a new health code: Be active, Eat
healthily, Avoid smoking, Take the lifestyle check. A simple way to
BEAT heart disease!
And of course we asked people to raise funds to support our
vital work.
How we’ll progress
Thousands of people
requested a Heart Information Pack. We hope this number will
continue to grow, so that more people can access the range of
support we offer, including our Heart
HelpLine and our Heart Matters
service.
How we raised vital funds
Our Red for Heart fundraising campaign
raised over £2 million, a staggering achievement. Here's how we did
it:
On 1 February people at 30 sites around the country
blinked and looked twice. The London Eye, York Minster and
Nottingham Castle were all lit red.
Thousands of people took part in National Wear Red Day on Friday
26th February. ‘Anything goes as long as it’s red’ was the
theme.
BHF heart pins were available through our online shop and on the high street at BHF Shops, Argos, Homebase, Fitness First and
Lloyds TSB, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches.
Celebrities came out in force to support us. They included Kate
Nash, McFly, Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Jacqueline Wilson,
Sir Roger Moore and Sir Alex Ferguson.
How our partners helped
Argos donated a very healthy £25,000 through sales of selected
fitness products. We launched our first annual Red for Heart photography competition. From 12
January until Valentine’s Day, people could write a love note in
the window of their local BHF Shop.
Lidl wholeheartedly supported the campaign by donating over
£37,000.
Colgate Palmolive donated 10p for each Oral Healthcare product
sold in Boots as part of a ‘3 for 2’ offer, raising a total of
£100,000.
New Covent Garden Food Co. created a ‘Heart Warming’ Soup of the
Month, raising a tasty £10,000.
