By Ebba Ritzen
Fusion Lifestyle, the charity that manages leisure facilities in the Loughborough area, has received a grant of £6,600 for their new project helping at-risk families become more heart healthy. The grant is part of Heart Research UK’s Healthy Heart Grants, awarded across the UK to local groups starting up new projects to improve the heart health of their community.
Fusion Lifestyle was founded to provide quality sport, leisure and fitness activities to local communities and encourage people to get healthy and active.
Their new project, ‘Family Heart Health’ will support people who have already taken part in the charity’s cardiac rehabilitation and exercise scheme, and their families.
The idea arose when Fusion Lifestyle realised that 94% of the people referred to their exercise scheme had a high risk of developing heart disease later in life, due to conditions such as obesity. With the rising levels of obesity in the UK, and the fact that a family history of heart disease makes you more susceptible to it, the need for a family focused health project was clear.
Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said:
“We’re pleased to award this grant to Fusion Lifestyle and their new programme working to prevent heart disease in their community. We’re hopeful that this intervention will support those who really need it and benefit their heart health throughout their lives.
“Prevention is a key part of what we strive to achieve as a charity, and we’re thrilled that Fusion Lifestyle are helping us with this – at the heart of their own community.”
Gareth Heard, Head of Sport and Community Development at Fusion Lifestyle, said:
“We are delighted to have been awarded this grant. Our ‘Family Heart Heath’ programme will make a real difference to the community and this grant will make it possible.”
