Oops....did you forget Valentine's?

Never fear - BHF are here to save the day!

There is still time to send your loved one a gift - via Facebook www.bhf.org.uk/facebook and beg for forgiveness!

Or why not make a donation to our appeal and show everyone how big your heart is.

Also there are events happening this weekend - check out some of our previous blog posts to find out more.

Thank for your support - your help is making a difference.

bhf.org.uk/valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spread the love today and make Valentine's mean more...

We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been supporting our Valentine Appeal - every little thing you do helps.

There is still time to get involved - you can make a donation, send a Facebook cheeky gift or buy a virutal gift

Please listen to our podcast to find out how we support heart patients across the UK.

Thanks again for all your support.

www.bhf.org.uk/valentine

Get into the groove Valentine lovers..

Not up for a candle lit dinner this Valentine? Check out these events starting from tomorrow and groove the night away with your loved one....

Make sure you have written some soulful poetry to declare your love on the Wall of Love ..and come armed with some loose change as there will be a collection for our appeal.

* I love Urban Nerds Valentine's Special at 93 Feet East (150 Brick Lane, E1 6QL) on Saturday 16 Feb 8pm - 1am, free before 8pm/ £7 after. Find out more here

* SoulBrew Valentines Party, 8pm-1am Thursday 14 February 2008, @ Cargo, Rivington St, London EC2, £7.50 in advance from www.soulbrew.com www.skiddle.com or www.ticketweb.co.uk , £12 on the door. www.soulbrew.com/diary.asp

Last minute gift ideas...

Haven't planned your Valentine gift as yet? Don't worry... we are here to help you plan a gift with a difference and show your Valentine how big your heart is!

Take a look at our last minute gift ideas that will really impress your Valentine:

• Mobile phone greeting cards
  www.lightningcards.co.uk is a greeting card company where you can send your Valentine a special Valentine message via your mobile phone. They will be donating 10% of profits to our Valentine Appeal throughout February and £1 donation to specific BHF card. Visit their website to find out more



• Facebook gift
  Visit bhf.org.uk/facebook and send a cute gift for a minimum of £1 donation - anything from a kiss to a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend - it might be better than the real thing!
  


• Donation
  Show how much you care by making a donation to the Valentine Appeal - you will be helping us support heart patients across the UK. Listen to our podcast to find out more



• Online Valentine Shop
  Last orders for Valentine gifts were yesterday (Monday 11 Feb) however you can still order a gift - take a look at our pamper days, handmade jewellery and other products..
  
  
• Arena Flowers
  It's not too late to order a bouquet of tulips or box of chocolates. Visit Arena Flowers today www.arenaflowers.com
  

Take a look at our site for more information www.bhf.org.uk/valentine

Quick! Last day to order from our online shop....

If you want a guaranteed delivery for your Valentine gifts -take a look now as we have a wide selection of gifts to delight your Valentine.

It isn't too late as long as you shop online today - so be quick!

Remember anything you do helps us reach our target of £1 million - we desperately need your help to fund our Heart Nurses and our Heart HelpLine.

Listen to our podcast to hear how we support heart patients across the UK.

PS Don't forget you can send a cheeky Facebook gift www.bhf.org.uk/facebook

How tight are your purse strings on Valentine's?

How much do Britons really spend on Valentine’s Day? Are we generous to our loved ones, or do we keep our purse strings tight?

Our ICM Poll has just revealed the truth about the battle between our hearts and our wallets. Here are some of the results…

• The average Briton will spend £22 on Valentine’s gifts, including flowers, chocolates and cards, this year

• Our men get a rough deal! Men spend an average of £35 on Valentine’s gifts, whereas women spend only £10

• Two thirds of women spend less than £5 on Valentine’s gifts, while one third of men spend over £20

• The South East is the most generous region, spending an average of £37 on gifts, followed by the North West at £25. London is not too far behind at £23. Wales comes out as the most stingey, spending only £7 on their loved ones!

• We get more miserly as we grow older. 18 to 24 year olds will spend over £50 on Valentine’s gifts this year. By the time we’re 40, that figure drops to £24 and once we hit 65 we’ll only spend £8!

Make your money really count this Valentine's by getting involved in our Valentine Appeal at bhf.org.uk/valentine

You can browse our selection of gifts via our online Valentine Shop, send a cheeky Facebook gift or why not make a simple donation - £24 pays for an hour of a BHF Heart Nurse's time.

Make Valentine's extra special this year..

Sweep your Valentine off their feet...literally!

We have teamed up with Red Letter Days to offer you gifts that will sweep your Valentine off their feet!

Red Letter Day have a wide range of thrilling experiences from Ferrari versus Lamborghini day out to an amazing aerobatic flying sequence in a high-performance training plane.

If you want something a little more relaxing and romantic - why not choose a spa day for two or a beautiful jazz lunch cruise on the Thames.

We have bags of ideas for you so please visit our online Valentine shop today

Only 8 days to go until Valentine's Day!!

But don't panic...we are here to help you make it extra special...

We have tons of ways for you to put a smile on your Valentine:

• Send a facebook gift - a cheeky kiss or maybe a rotten tomato to the anti-Valentine friend - www.bhf.org.uk/facebook
  


• Buy a Valentine gift in our online shops - proceeds coming to our Valentine Appeal www.bhf.org.uk/valentineshop
  


• Organise an event - if someone you know is already having an event, why not see if they want to help our appeal? How you can help

Listen to our podcast and find out what the Valentine Appeal is all about and hear from the heart patients who we have supported over the years.

Any little thing you do for Valentine's can help our appeal so please get involved today.

Make a donation today

Thank you!

Calling all singles!

Dance the night away and find your perfect Valentine? Sound too good to be true...well why don't you leave it up to Dance Parties to help you have a great night out!

Dance Parties are supporting our Valentine Appeal so take a look now at their website and you could find your perfect mate...

www.dance-parties.co.uk/valentines-day-2008.htm

Have fun!

Valentine's events with a difference

Impress your Valentine and do something different this year by getting involved in our Valentine Appeal.


The Swallow Hilltop Hotel on London Road, Carlisle, Cumbria has organised, themed dinners, dances and concerts, starting with three evenings in aid of our Valentine Appeal.

Take a look at their calendar of events:

• February 14- a Harpist will enhance the romantic atmosphere for a three course candle lit dinner.
  


• February 15 - everyone can expect to jazz up their love lives at a dinner dance with a live performance by renowned jazz band , The Gershwin Gang, and disco to follow.
  


• February 16 - “Ho’ Down” with Red River Band, following on from Valentine's this promises reels “grab your partner” lots of jiggin and reeling.

You can also write a special love note, enter a sweepstake and prize draw to win a two night stay, B&B , including dinner at any of the 35 premier hotels throughout the UK.

The Swallow Hilltop has set up a special hotline number, now available, for information about the Valentine evenings and to book tickets T. Margaret 01228 552902 .

You can also e-mail events.hilltop@crerarmgmt.com

Make it a sizzler

There's only so many red roses and chocs a person can deal with. Make your beloved feel special this Valentine's with something a little, well, hotter.

What better than this sizzlin' grill in hot pink?

Not only practical and pleasing on the eye but when you purchase one, those nice people at George Foreman donate £5 towards our Valentine Appeal.

This limited edition gift is one of a range of romantics gifts on sale in our online Valentine Shop.

Make Valentine's a sparkling one this year...

...by popping into your local Threshers and buying a special bottle of rose champagne.

One of our Valentine's partner's, Threshers, is offering us £1 for every bottle of rose champagne sold until 18 February.

So why not treat your loved one to a special bottle and help us in our bid to raise £1 million for our Valentine Appeal.

There are so many ways you can help us - so please do make a difference this Valentine's and support us.

Find out about all the ways you can help today

Spread love via Facebook

Did you know you can give a gift to the Valentine Appeal via Facebook?

We have launched this cool application on Facebook - take a look here bhf.org.uk/facebook

It's really easy to add to your Facebook profile and remember to send it on to your friends to make a real difference this Valentine's Day.

So if you haven't jumped on the Facebook bandwagon - here is a great reason to get on board.

Make someone smile today - and send them a Facebook gift with a difference!

Take a look here bhf.org.uk/facebook

Liverpool businesses back the appeal

Businesses at Liverpool’s historical Albert Docks are supporting the Valentine Appeal.

Retailers will be organising collections over the weekends of the 9th and 16th of February.

If you are in the area make sure you go along and support the appeal too.

Visit www.albertdock.com to find out more about the Docks.

Everything you do makes a big difference to the appeal - support our Valentine Appeal.

Find out more about the appeal at bhf.org.uk/valentine

Support from across the UK

There are some fantastic people across the UK supporting our Valentine Appeal.

We have been really lucky with all the support we have received so far and want to say a big thank you to everyone supporting the appeal.

Over the weekend www.thisisnottingham.co.uk featured a story on Edward Jones, a 12 year old boy born with congenital heart disease and who has had two open heart surgeries.

Edward's mum said: "It has been a very tough time and the BHF Heart Nurse was really supportive. Edward's nurse was absolutely excellent, she eased any worries and made a huge difference."

Edward has been encouraging people to get involved in whatever way possible to help raise the crucial £1 million.

Read the full story here

Fantastic Valentine Appeal coverage on BBC

As we approach Valentine's Day we need all the coverage we can get to help promote our Valentine Appeal.

We urgently need to raise funds for our crucial BHF Heart Nurses and HeartHelp Line who help hundreds of thousands of heart patients and their families every day.

BBC "Look East" did a great piece on how crucial it is to raise money for our Valentine Appeal - click on the link below to watch the clip:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7200000/newsid_7205800?redirect=7205842.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1

Please do something today to help us raise £1 million - there are so many different things you can do to help.

Find out what you can do here

Get your fundraising event in the papers

Are you organising a Valentine event with proceeds coming to the Valentine Appeal?

If so - firstly and most importantly - thank you!

But did you know that we have a sample press release for you so that you can alert your local newspaper to your fundraising activity?

Take a look here - and download the sample press release today

Spread the word today and make sure you take advantage of your local media - contact your local radio station today.

Find out more about the Valentine Appeal - visit bhf.org.uk/valentine

If you need any help or want to find out more please email valentine@bhf.org.uk

I couldn’t wish for better support..

Pam Austin, 63 years old from Walton Day in Somerset, was first treated for heart disease 21 years ago, and recently underwent surgery, to repair a hole in her heart.

She has a dedicated BHF Heart Nurse, Wendy, to help support her in her everyday life.

21 years ago the support of a BHF Heart Nurse did not exist,

“Wendy has made a lot of difference to my life. I can get to speak to her quicker than I can speak to a doctor or consultant and I can talk to her about anything that’s worrying me."

Read more real stories on our Valentine website

We need your help to keep funding BHF Heart Nurses and our HeartHelp Line.

Please do anything you can to support us - find out how here

Bouquet of love...

Buy selected flowers from www.arenaflowers.com and part of the money will go towards our Valentine Appeal.

Take a look at these links to view some beautiful bouquets:

www.arenaflowers.com/flowers/product/view/valentines_fifty_red_tulips_gift_wrap

www.arenaflowers.com/flowers/product/view/valentines_tulip_sensation

www.arenaflowers.com/flowers/product/view/valentines_fifty_white_tulips_gift_wrap

www.arenaflowers.com/flowers/product/view/valentines_fifty_pink_tulips_gift_wrap

Anything you do to help us raise our target of £1 million to fund our Heart Nurses and our HelpLine is greatly appreciated.

Give a gift that saves lives today and support our Valentine Appeal.

Your heart beats 100,000 times a day..

But what happens when it doesn't work as well as it should......

We support heart patients and their families living with heart disease and we need your help to keep funding our Heart Nurses and our Heart HelpLine.

In the UK there are 2.6 milion people living with heart disease and it's the number 1 killer.

Last year BHF Heart Nurses were able to help 50,000 of these heart patients and the charity’s Heart HelpLine provided support and information to 13,000 callers.

Help us today by getting involved in our Valentine Appeal - there are so many different ways to help - anything you do helps us raise our crucial £1 million.

Find out more

Buy a Valentine gift with a difference

Get in early this year and buy a Valentine gift with a difference.

Every gift you buy helps us continue to fund BHF Heart Nurse and our Heart HelpLine which supports thousands of people suffering from heart disease.

We have a wide selection of inspiring online gift ideas for your Valentine - spa day experience, women's only rally driving day, handmade jewellery, cufflinks and much much more.

Check out our online Valentine shop today

PS Keep your eye out on the high street as Threshers and Co-op are supporting us with a special bottle of rose champagne and Valentine card - find out more and don't forget to pop into your local BHF Shop to post a Love Note in the shop window

A day in the life of a BHF Heart Nurse

Ever wondered what is involved in being a BHF Heart Nurse?

Then take a listen to our "Day in the Life of a Heart Nurse" podcast

It follows around one of our Heart Nurses on a trip to visit a patient and also includes interviews with the real stories featured on our Valentine website (bhf.org.uk/valentine).

It will give you a really good idea of just how important our Heart Nurses are to the thousands of people suffering with heart disease.

It also highlights our Heart HelpLine (08450 70 80 70) and the fantastic work of all the people involved in running this crucial service.

Download the Valentine podcast

Find out more about the Valentine Appeal

Enter our free prize draw!

We have four fantastic prizes to give away in our Valentine free prize draw!

You could win one of the following:

• A tour of a UK award winning vineyard set in beautiful Sussex countryside
  
• A George Foreman Easy Clean Grill
• A homedics massaging back cushion
• or a Myairzone portable air purifier.

Get full details on the prize draw here

All you have to do is enter via our free prize draw form

Don't forget that there are so many ways that you can help us raise our crucial 1 million pounds.

Go to bhf.org.uk/valentine and find a way you can help us today

Celebrities back our Valentine Appeal

We have been really lucky to bag some celebrity support for our Valentine Appeal 2008.

We got all the goss on their secret childhood crushes and they took part in a fantastic photoshoot.

Gabby Logan, Sarah Cawood, Enzo Maccarinelli are just a few of the celebrities supporting our appeal to help raise the crucial £1 million for heart patients across the UK.

Take a look at all the celebrity photos and find out more about our celebrity supporters here

Get smoochy with a BHF Love Note..

Do something different this year and show the whole world how much you care by writing a special Valentine Love Note at your local BHF Shop

For a suggested £1 donation you can post your love note in our shop window for all to see.

This is a fantastic and truly romantic way to support our Valentine Appeal.

You can also now add a photo to your love note - to make it especially eye catching!

It's a great way to declare your love - pop into your local BHF shop from tomorrow (Tuesday 15 January) and post your Love Note.

Find out more here

Sweepstakes away...

Looking for easy fundraising ideas for your office? Need a way to beat the January blues.....

Why not order our Valentine sweepstake poster - it features 50 popular romantic movie titles.

Our sweepstakes are back by popular demand and it's such a great way to get the whole office involved in the Valentine Appeal.

The suggested donation is only a pound - so why not order yours today - or call us on 0845 241 0976.

Find out more about fundraising for us

I can't bear to think of life without BHF Heart Nurses...

This is the quote from Sam, whose little boy, Aaron, six years old, was born with congenital heart disease.

Aaron is the face of the Valentine Appeal 2008 and is really excited about being featured on the campaign to help us raise money for such an important cause.

Sam remembers what a frightening time it was to be told that her baby would be born with an abnormality of the heart.

Luckily she found help and support from BHF Heart Nurses,

"We’ve had a couple of scary moments when we thought we would lose the BHF Heart Nurses and I couldn’t see how we would get by.

I would be traumatised - I could not bear to think of life without them. They have played such a fundamental part of caring for our child.”

Make a difference today and get involved with our appeal. There are so many different ways you can help us.

Find out what you can do today

Get your fundraising started today!

We have got everything you need to get your Valentine Appeal fundraising event started.

Hopefully you have checked out our fundraising ideas for the appeal if not take a look here for more details.

Everything you do really helps us with the appeal and we'd love you to get involved.

We can support you with your event through a selection of our leaflets which you can download for free- find out more

Alternatively you can order them today

Please do get in touch - we'd love to hear what you are organising valentine@bhf.org.uk and we can help you promote your event.

Happy fundraising!

Get your creative juices flowing...

..by organising a fundraising event for our Valentine Appeal.

It's never too early to get planning and we have tons of ideas to help you come up with creative activities to help us raise £1 million for our vital care services.

Take a look here for fundraising ideas.

Or why not contact us directly on valentine@bhf.org.uk - we can help you make the most of your event by supplying you with posters and promoting your event on our website.

There are so many ways you can help - and every little bit you do really makes a difference to our work.

Our Heart Nurses and Heart HelpLine are such important parts of our care services and by getting involved with our Valentine Appeal today you will be helping people with heart disease.

Get cracking today and make sure you get your friends and family to support you.

Find out more about the appeal here bhf.org.uk/valentine

Welcome to the Valentine Appeal 2008 blog!

Welcome and happy new year!

Our Valentine Appeal 2008 blog is now live and we will keep you up to date with all the Valentine Appeal activities that we have planned from now until the end of February.

Why not begin the New Year by getting involved in our Valentine Appeal? There are tons of ways to get involved.

You can:

• Organise your own fundraising event
• Make a donation
• Buy a fantastic gift for your loved one in our valentine shop
• Or why not email us at valentine@bhf.org.uk if you have any inspiring ideas to help us raise the crucial £1 million to help fund our care services.

You can also listen to our podcast which follows a BHF Heart Nurse on her travels to heart patients. It also includes real testimonials from people who are being helped by the heart nurses and our Heart HelpLine.

Find out more about the appeal at www.bhf.org.uk/valentine