Brentford to change the game for cardiac health in West London

Brentford to change the game for cardiac health in West London

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust will use the power of sport and their collective voice to change the game for cardiac health in West London. In the London Borough of Hounslow, there are around 21,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases which cause 35 deaths each month.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and it does not discriminate. Heart and circulatory diseases cause around a quarter of all deaths in the UK. That’s more than 160,000 deaths each year, or one death every three minutes. Every five minutes someone is admitted to a UK hospital due to a heart attack.

It is the club’s ambition 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. The Heart of West London group is made up of Brentford FC, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young, Resuscitation Council UK, Pablo London and A-K-A Day.

Together they will raise awareness of game-changing research to drive forward their knowledge of cardiovascular disease in target groups, helping to discover more effective treatments. They will also deliver education and training within their local communities around screenings for under-35s.

Their 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.

Research – raising money for funding innovative treatment, equipment and research into cardiac health.

Support – supporting families affected by cardiac conditions.

“At Brentford, to achieve success we have always tried to focus on the things that make the most difference, following the science and striving to make a positive impact in our community.

“This season we are applying that approach to cardiac health by bringing an alliance of organisations together in an initiative we call The Heart of West London. The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Cardiac Risk in the Young, the Resuscitation Council, Pablo London, A-K-A Day and Brentford FC Community Sports Trust are all working with Brentford FC to use our collective power to save thousands of lives.

“We believe we will be successful in bringing about more scientific research, more cardiac screenings, encouraging more people to make positive changes in their lives and more CPR training, and as a result, we will have a massive impact on fighting the world’s leading cause of death. We started on a journey of supporting cardiac health following the tragic death of Technical Director, Rob Rowan in 2018. This alliance and the initiatives that are to come will serve as a lasting legacy to our friend.”

Nity Raj, General Counsel at Brentford FC and Trustee of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust

“The launch of the Heart of West London partnership coincides with an important milestone for CRY – the announcement that we have now tested over 250,000 young people in the UK through our screening programme. As a result, more than 800 young people will have been identified with potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions and will have received treatment, lifestyle advice or corrective surgery which will have dramatically reduced their chance of suffering a cardiac arrest. This vital partnership will help to raise awareness of the importance of screening and young lives will be saved.”

Dr Steven Cox, CEO at Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY)

“The Heart of West London Partnership is an incredible opportunity to save lives and improve the heart health of communities in West London. Everyone at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity is excited to partner with Brentford FC and other charities who are passionate about heart health, to change the game for people threatened by heart disease.”

Richard Bowyer, Chief Executive of Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity

“We are excited to be partnering with these wonderful organisations, who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in heart health. Our aim is to save as many lives as possible by working in collaboration, to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and heart disease and to provide solutions to reduce deaths in this area.”

James Cant, Chief Executive at Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK)