A 23-YEAR-OLD healthcare worker from Caerphilly has raised more than £3,300 with a team of colleagues from the heart health unit at University Hospital of Wales.

Chloe Sargent is based in in the Cardiac Catheter Theatres UHW, where she has worked for two years.

With three of her workmates, Chloe raised the impressive amount for the British Heart Foundation by taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge.

She said: “I wanted to set myself a challenge and something to motivate me throughout lockdown. We have been working as key workers throughout this pandemic which has meant that additional pressure and stress has been added onto an already stressful job.

“The excitement of this challenge has kept us motivated. It has also encouraged me to be more physically active and start walking in my free time to help prepare me for the peaks.

MORE NEWS:

"The BHF carries out amazing work in supporting people and conducting research into cardiac disease. Working in cardiology has allowed me to see the positive impact their work has on patients. Therefore, we have chosen to raise awareness and money for the BHF whilst we complete this challenge.”

The British Heart Foundation estimates that heart and circulatory diseases affect 19,000 people in Caerphilly County. This includes 7,100 people with coronary heart disease, 4,000 with atrial fibrillation, 1,700 diagnosed with heart failure and 3,700 stroke survivors. Risk factors including high blood pressure and diabetes have been diagnosed in 31,000 and 13,000 people respectively.

The charity has helped fund 30 life-saving defibrillators in the county, provided 16 free Call Push Rescue (CPR) kits to schools and community groups and sends around 5,600 heart health resources to addresses in Caerphilly each year. There are 6 BHF shops in Gwent raising vital funds for the charity, supported by 190 volunteers.

The friends chose to support the British Heart Foundation to stay positive and motivated after what they say has been a difficult time for charities and health workers due to the covid pandemic.

The friends climbed Snowdonia, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in under 24 hours, enduring extremes of heat at the outset and playing in snow at the peak of Ben Nevis.

Heart and circulatory diseases cause one in four of all deaths in Wales, around 9,300 deaths each year – an average of 26 people each day, and around 340,000 people are living with heart and circulatory diseases across Wales.

Adam Fletcher, head of BHF Cymru, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Chloe and the team for choosing to fundraise for us after a very challenging time for everyone involved in health care. Our research to help save and improve lives is only made possible thanks to our inspirational supporters like them. We need the public’s support now more than ever as the BHF reaches its 60th anniversary this month.

“Cutting research funding will impact the development of new ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating heart and circulatory diseases and we cannot allow the progress we have made over the last 60 years to slow down. We’re so grateful to the team for fundraising for us in our 60th year and for helping us beat heartbreak forever.”

To find out more go to bhf.org.uk