Every year, our Help a Heart campaign sets out to raise £1.5 million for pioneering research that saves lives. In 2007 our 564 Shops and the 11,000 volunteers who help us run them played a big part, setting themselves an ambitious target of £360,000.

Once again the campaign focused on the need to continue our life-saving research. We used a hard-hitting image of a distraught father holding a picture of his lost child to portray the devastation suffered by families affected by heart disease. Every one of our Shops really pulled out the stops, selling thousands of BHF Heart Ribbons, including a special tartan Scots version.

Merlynn White has been a volunteer at our Ramsgate Shop for 18 years. She says: "I love volunteering for the BHF, and I really like the people here. My husband had a heart attack and I've supported the BHF ever since." Like many Shops volunteers, Merlynn also gets involved in fundraising through street collections for the campaign. In October, she was presented with a Heart Heroes award at our AGM. "I was nominated to accept it on behalf of all Shops volunteers. We know how much we're needed, but to have it confirmed in such a nice way is very rewarding. It's a great way to show much we're valued."

More than 2,500 collectors brought in over £120,000, and in a record-breaking year, our Shops raised almost £446,000 for the campaign. In total, Help a Heart raised a spectacular £1.491 million. With a target of £500,000 in 2008, BHF Shops' volunteers will be working even harder to Help a Heart.

It's only with your help that we can continue to fund our vital research. To find out how you can get involved in the campaign, go to bhf.org.uk/helpaheart