VOLUNTEERS from Flintshire have been praised by an Assembly Member for their support towards the vital work done by the British Heart Foundation.

Llyr Gruffydd AM recently attended British Heart Foundation Cymru’s parliamentary reception ‘Beating Heartbreak Forever’ in the National Assembly for Wales, which centred on the immense contribution of volunteers to the charity’s lifesaving research.

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM met staff and volunteers who travelled from Flintshire for the reception and heard about the work that goes into generating vital donations and making sales that all contribute to the work done by the British Heart Foundation.

Mr Gruffydd said: “British Heart Foundation’s lifesaving research can only be done thanks to staff and volunteers who all deserve a huge thanks for their hard work to raise funds.

“There are more than 81,000 people in the North estimated to be living with heart and circulatory disease and more than 12,000 have survived a stroke.

“The extent of heart and circulatory problems is huge in our region. With that in mind it’s clear we need the fundraising and volunteering that takes place to fund better treatment, research and greater understanding of the risks involved.

“I am pleased that some of my constituents from Flintshire who volunteer for the BHF were able to travel to the reception. It was particularly good to meet Elwyn Roberts, one of the original founders of the Mold branch.

“I am amazed at the breadth of volunteering work that takes place across Wales to support the work of the BHF and to spread important training such as CPR in communities.”

Adam Fletcher, the Head of British Heart Foundation Cymru, added: “It was great to welcome Llyr Gruffydd to the Senedd last night.

“Research is vital to ending heart disease. Every donation made, every hour volunteered and every person who supports BHF makes a huge difference. Through our research and healthcare innovations we are working to beat heartbreak forever.”

Across Wales there are currently around 2,500 premature deaths from heart and circulatory disease each year.

But thanks to community fundraisers and volunteering, the BHF is able to fund almost £5m worth of life saving research to support the fight against heart and circulatory diseases in Wales.