Campaigning

We will get government to establish policies that minimise the risk of developing heart and circulatory disease.

We aim to achieve this by:

• asking people affected by heart disease what issues impact them the most, and how they would like to get involved in campaigning for change
• lobbying with partner organisations
• working in partnership with charities, the Department of Health and Government
• identifying opportunities to influence the Government agenda on emerging issues, such as the role of charities in providing services in the NHS.

How we made a difference in 2009-10

For years, vending machines have been an easy way for children in the UK to buy cigarettes. Around 23,000 11-15 year-old regular smokers get their cigarettes from these machines in England and Wales.

Since it’s estimated that one in five deaths from heart and circulatory disease are attributable to smoking, lowering the number of child smokers in the UK is vital to public health.

We wanted to cut this simple route to children obtaining cigarettes by changing the law.

We ran a carefully coordinated campaign, designed to persuade politicians to support a total ban on cigarette vending machines across the UK.

We focused on Scotland first, organising briefings, and lobbying MSPs. And in February 2009 the Scottish Government announced their intention to introduce a ban. We then turned the spotlight south: on pubs in the heart of Westminster.

We created an undercover video podcast in which two 14 year-olds bought cigarettes without being challenged, showing politicians that the problem existed right on their own doorstep.

All the hard work paid off. The Government changed its position at the last minute and a ban will now come into place in England in October 2011. Governments in Wales and Northern Ireland have been given the power to do the same. Wonderful news!

Parliamentary lobby day

In February we held a parliamentary lobby day where over 100 campaigners lobbied their MPs for a new approach to tackling heart and circulatory disease in England. Sixty-eight MPs pledged to tackle heart and circulatory disease at the general election and beyond.

Campaigning workshops

We ran a series of campaigning workshops across the England, where heart patients and others who were keen to do more could learn to become effective campaigners. We’ll continue to roll these out across the UK.