What we do

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.

Our achievements in 2008-09

Keeping the pressure on government is not a battle we can fight alone. We aim to inspire support through imaginative collaborations such as the Cardio & Vascular Coalition (CVC). This brings together 41 voluntary sector organisations to campaign for improved cardiac and vascular health in England.

Destination 2020
The CVC has recently published a new set of policy aspirations for the next decade, called Destination 2020: A plan for cardiac and vascular health. It’s designed to pin down future priorities and also incorporates related conditions such as stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

135,000 signatures
Our supporters are now pushing for this plan to become a reality. We’ve attracted over 135,000 petition signatures – giving a voice to thousands of people who would otherwise not have been heard.

Other highlights in brief

  • In 2009, we won a major commitment from the Scottish Government to ban cigarette sales from vending machines - one of the main ways in which children under 18 continue to get hold of cigarettes.

  • After a year of intense lobbying, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland has included Emergency Life-saving Skills as a new standard within the Cardiovascular Health & Wellbeing Service Framework, Northern Ireland. We’re now looking to repeat this success elsewhere in the UK.

  • We published a report on the way parents are being misled by junk food marketing aimed at children. Over 15,500 people signed postcards to be delivered to Gordon Brown, while a further 2,500 signed up through an innovative partnership with Guardian Online.