1. We need you to help us beat heartbreak forever
Welcome to the assembly that will help to fight heart disease. My name is…and I work for a charity called the British Heart Foundation or the BHF. The BHF is the nation's leading heart charity. We do all we can to help keep the hearts of men, women and children like you beating normally across the country. I'm here to tell you how we help save people's lives and how you can join the fight and help us try to cure heart disease too.
INTERACTION - Ask the children to raise their hands if they know anyone with heart disease. Can they tell you what it is?
We need you to help us beat heartbreak forever

2. Did you know?
Heart and circulatory disease touches us all – it is the UK’s biggest killer.
Around 7 million people in the UK are living with cardiovascular disease
It is indiscriminate – affecting young and old alike.
About 30,000 teenagers in the UK are currently living with heart conditions.
12 babies a day are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in the UK
Before the BHF – 4 in 5 children born with congenital heart disease died before their 1st birthday – today in the UK, thanks to research, 4 in 5 survive into adulthood.

3. Our heart
INTERACTION - Ask for people to put their hands on their chest where they think their heart is.
It's actually more or less in the centre of your chest, between the lungs, not on the left. Its slightly at an angle, with a part of it touching your chest, which is what makes it feel like it's on the left.
INTERACTION - Ask the audience how big they think the heart really is –
Ask them all to make a fist – the heart is roughly the size of your fist! – as a full grown adult, your heart is roughly like the size of 2 of your fists.
WHAT IS YOUR HEART?
Your heart is a powerful muscle that pumps blood around your body. The force you use in squeezing a tennis ball is about the same amount of force your heart uses to pump blood around your body.
Did you know?
Even when you’re just sitting, your heart is working harder than the legs muscles of someone sprinting!
Your body has about 4 ½ litres of blood, and your heart pumps this lot around your body 3 times a minute!
In one day, your blood travels 12,000 miles – that’s like from London to Tokyo and back again!
In 1 day, your heart beats 100,000 times!

4. What is heart and circulatory disease?
To keep your heart healthy, the muscles of your heart need to be constantly supplied with blood by the CORONARY ARTERIES – which are small arteries on the surface of the heart.
These arteries can become blocked up with the gradual build-up of a fatty substance called ATHEROMA. As they narrow, it becomes difficult for blood to get to the heart. People with narrowed coronary arteries can feel chest pain or shortness of breath after doing exercise. This is called ANGINA.
When a coronary artery is blocked completely, this creates a HEART ATTACK. Blood and consequently oxygen, are just not able to get to the heart.

5. Well known people
Right now, around 2.3 million people across the UK are living with a form of heart and circulatory disease.
And sadly around 203 people will die from a heart attack today. That’s someone every 7 minutes.
Do you know any well-known people that have a heart problem?
Miley Cyrus – has tachycardia, a heart condition that causes her heart to beat faster than normal
Jesse J – suffered a stroke and has been diagnosed with a hereditary heart defect
Fabrice Muamba – whose heart stopped beating for 78 minutes after he suffered a cardiac arrest whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers in a football match.
The fact is heart disease affects young people as much as older people.
Most children are born with healthy hearts – but 1 in every 180 babies born has a congenital heart problem.
INTERACTION – ask the question – what are you most likely to die from – heart and circulatory disease or cancer?
The answer is heart and circulatory disease – it causes more than a ¼ of all deaths in the UK.
We’ll all be affected either directly or indirectly – it may have already affected people in this room.

6. Laura's Story
aged 15
“My name is Laura. I have a congenital heart defect and I have gone through major open- heart surgeries.
The British Heart Foundation has been so helpful to me, and to a lot of other kids, because of the research they do. They help children and adults live longer and better lives. It means a lot to me.
The British Heart Foundation fundraises and puts on sporting events for people to join in and earn this money to put towards the research that they do.
People like you save lives like mine.”
I want to share a story with you. This is Laura.
Laura was diagnosed with congenital heart disease before she was born.
She was born with complex Cyanotic heart disease, which is made up of 5 different congenital heart defects.
At just 3 days old she had to have her first operation!
She has had 16 operations so far. She is only 15
She has never been able to take part in school sports, which is why AllStar Games will be so much fun because now she can take part.
DO YOU KNOW HOW WE HELPED LAURA?
At the BHF, we help by funding scientists to do ground-breaking research work. Their projects lead to a greater understanding of how the heart works, and how doctors can save lives. – for instance how to fix a hole in the heart was developed as a result of research we funded!

7. Our ground breaking researchers
We help children and young people with heart problems, just like Laura.
Right now there are around 1,100 research projects being funded by the BHF – they are investigating a huge range of subjects from high blood pressure and genetics to prevent blood clotting, treating defects in the heart of unborn babies and improving heart surgery.
As a result of this, there are now many people who survive heart and circulatory disease, and enjoy a better life as they get older with their loved ones and families.
INTERACTION – (hold up a Defibrillator or an image of one) and ask the audience who knows what this does?
It’s a Defibrillator. It gives an electric shock to the heart. Hopefully this will restore a regular heart rhythm after someone has had a cardiac arrest. It's just another of the developments brought about by the research funded by the BHF.
Every minute we spend £154 funding research to create breakthroughs like this, but we’re a charity – this means we rely on donations and fundraising from amazing people to continue with our life saving work. Every penny that people donate makes a difference to the lives of millions.
Our ground breaking researchers

8. We need you to help us beat heartbreak forever
INTERACTION - Ask the audience to raise their hands to see who would like to beat heartbreak forever with the BHF and help children like Laura to get better? Hopefully they should all say yes…. Ask them to say it louder till you get a ‘victorious’ YES … hopefully you should have lots of excited people all wanting to know how they can join in.
There are lots of ways you could get involved such as:
Taking part in our brand new sports day event ‘AllStar Games’ - a high energy, adrenaline filled sports day style fundraiser that’s suitable for all ages and abilities.
Taking part in ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ – An exciting skipping challenge that can be held any time of year.
Taking part in ‘Ultimate Dodgeball’ – A fantastic sports challenge that helps with team building skills and strategic thinking.
Or you can do all sorts of different things too – like non-uniform days and wear it red day instead! Can you think of any other ways that you and your school could help people like Laura?
* Today, I would like you to join the fight   - without fundraisers like YOU we would not be able to continue our vital work, saving and improving lives across your community.

9. Your support for the BHF will help us look after thousands of other hearts too.
THANK YOU FROM CALUM – EMBEDDED IN PICTURE – RIGHT CLICK AND OPEN HYPERLINK
Thank you for listening
Thank you