Brentford's Heart of West London partnership has raised more than £5,200 since it was launched in October 2022.
The money raised, which will be matched by the club, will go towards funding innovative treatment, equipment and research at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, one of the largest heart and lung specialist centres in the world. By doubling the donations, the club hopes to make a significant contribution to the research taking place in cardiovascular disease (CVD).
According to NHS England, CVD affects around seven million people in the UK and is a significant cause of disability and death.
The Heart of West London is a long-term partnership and commitment bringing together key players in the cardiac health world to make a difference.
The partnership is a collaboration between Brentford FC, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young, Resuscitation Council UK, A-K-A Day and Pablo London.
Together, we will use the power of sport and our collective voice to change the game for cardiac health in west London. Our ambition is to ensure that everyone has the skills to save a life and to raise awareness of heart disease and the lifestyle changes necessary to live healthier lives.
Funds have been raised through the sale of our Heart of West London t-shirts which the first team warmed up in before Brentford’s fixture against Chelsea on 19 October.
The limited edition shirts worn by the players which feature a scannable QR code explaining how to perform CPR have since been auctioned, raising more than £3,000.
Programmes also featuring the QR code were also sold at the match, of which 10 per cent of sales went towards the Heart of West London.
Those purchasing from our online shop have also been able to round up the cost of their purchases upon check out.
In addition to fundraising, our activity will focus on:
Awareness - getting CPR and defibrillator training to as many people as possible so everyone can learn the skills to save a life.
Exercise - getting people moving and understanding the simple changes they can make in their lives to improve their cardiac health.
Screening - preventing young sudden cardiac deaths through additional screenings.
Support - supporting families affected by cardiac conditions.
Nity Raj, general counsel at Brentford FC and trustee of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, said: “It’s great to see the progress we’ve made so far in fundraising for the Heart of West London. We’re working hard with our partners to make a difference in this field, but the biggest difference we can make is supporting long-term research.
“There is one death every minute due to heart and circulatory disease. As well as supporting this important cause ,we urge everyone to make use of our two-minute video and learn the six simple steps on how to perform life-saving CPR. It could help save someone’s life.
"We look forward to running more activities to raise awareness about cardiac health next year.”
Get involved in improving cardiac health
We’re continuing to accept donations for the Heart of West London and there are a number of ways to get involved and help make a difference:
When making a purchase on our online shop, remember that rounding up your total can make a difference, no matter how big or small the amount
Learn how to do CPR by scanning the QR code above, it takes two minutes and could help you save someone’s life
Keep a look out for our Heart of West London activities taking place next year