On Friday 29 September, Above & Beyond celebrated World Heart Day by launching its £830,000 Bristol Heart Institute Appeal at a special event held in the Bristol Heart Institute atrium.

Cheltenham Town Football Club Manager Gary Johnson, who underwent triple-heart-bypass surgery in March 2017, met with Consultant Cardiac Surgeon Alan Bryan and our new CEO Paul Kearney at the BHI to show his support and launch the Appeal.

I can’t say how much I appreciate the amazing care and support I received from all the staff during my time at the Bristol Heart Institute. I wouldn’t be here without them and I can’t thank them enough. It’s an unbelievable service so I was delighted to come down to tell everyone how important it is to get behind this appeal so that staff can carry on doing fantastic work.

- Gary Johnson, Cheltenham Town Football Club manager and former BHI patient

Above & Beyond staff and volunteers used the launch event to showcase the many ways individuals, community groups and businesses can get involved to support and fundraise for the Appeal. Volunteers helped out with a bake sale and knitted hearts for a 'yarn bomb' set to take place in February, while hospital staff were encouraged to take part in a daily step challenge. There was also music from the Thornbury Uke-aholics.

As one of the leading cardiac centres in the country, the BHI treats 40,000 patients each year, performing over 500 keyhole surgeries a month and 17,000 diagnostic scans annually, at a cost of £46 million. The Appeal will raise funds to purchase the latest surgical and diagnostic equipment and to improve facilities to meet the growing demand for its services. 

People from across the South West directly benefit from having specialist cardiac services on their doorstep and your help with the Bristol Heart Institute Appeal will enable us to push the boundaries of innovation even further for future provision of care.

- Jenny Anstey, Matron at the Bristol Heart Institute

The Bristol Heart Institute Appeal will fund a new echocardiography facility, so that some of our sickest patients are no longer moved between the BHI and Bristol Royal Infirmary when at their most vulnerable, ultrasound equipment for the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit to provide urgent bedside diagnosis, and heart valve devices to support very high risk patients who have suffered heart failure and other serious heart conditions.

I’ve seen firsthand the outstanding care provided by the dedicated staff at the Bristol Heart Institute. The Appeal will enable us to improve facilities and provide the latest equipment that will keep the BHI at the forefront of cardiac treatment and research for years to come. I’m very excited to be involved with my first appeal since becoming Chief Executive of Above & Beyond and I’m confident that together with the people and businesses of Bristol, we can reach our target.

- Paul Kearney, CEO of Above & Beyond

There are many ways you can help support our Bristol Heart Institute Appeal:

★ Make a  single donation or set up a regular gift.

★ Fundraise on your own or with your family and friends.

★ Become our charity partner at your workplace.

★ Leave a gift in your will to the BHI.