BHF calls for town to have a heart at Circle of Hope event

The Circle of Hope is a new event that is designed to get individuals and groups engaged in physical activity once a year for charity.

Tomorrow will see the town centre turned into a giant school playground, with fund-raising events for all abilities.

At 9am, Victoria Hunter, BHF Mending Broken Hearts Ambassador, will set people off from the Clifton Park war memorial to see how close they can come to four minute mile.

At 11am, the Mayor of Rotherham, and Andrew Kerrison, whose late brother Richard was a BHF ambassador, will lead off walkers from outside Boots in the town centre to complete one two or three mile laps of town centre.

And from 1pm, All Saints’ Square will become a football academy as an inflatable football pitch is used to demonstrate keepy uppy, skipping, hula hoops and hopscotch before instructors encourage everyone to join in.

The event continues with a swimathon at Rotherham Leisure Complex from 3pm, with swimmers jumping into a red pool to make a red splash.

June Thomas, chair of the BHF Heart Town fundraising committee, said: “We think the Circle of Hope is a great way for people to get heart healthy and even kick-start a new fitness habit.

“As well as all the physical activities taking place throughout the day, there will be stalls along Effingham Street from 10am to 3pm, giving free advice and resources on a variety of heart health issues from healthy lifestyle to weight loss and physical activity to signing up to the organ donation register.”

The BHF Heart Town initiative is to bring communities like Rotherham together to fight for every heartbeat by raising money for vital research through fundraising and volunteering.

You can join the fight for every heartbeat in the UK by making a donation, raising vital funds and by volunteering your time in your Heart Town.

Contact June Thomas on 01909 518062 or email [email protected] to get involved.