Leading cardiac charity, Heartbeat, has revealed that ‘Musicals from the Heart’ has raised a staggering £37,000 for the region’s heart patients and their families.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, the Royal Patron of Heartbeat, attended the glittering event as part of Heartbeat’s 30th-anniversary celebrations.
The musical extravaganza, held at the iconic Mayflower Theatre in September showcased a selection of music produced by renowned Broadway and West End performer Earl Carpenter and played by the Bournemouth Symphany Orchestra. Earl was joined on stage by an array of Hampshire-based stars, Holly-Anne Hull, Lauren Byrne, Jacqueline Hughes, Harry Chandler and James Hume.
The heart charity has now totted up the money raised on the night and is delighted with the impressive total. Mark Ind, Chief Executive of Heartbeat, said: “’Musicals from the Heart’ was a huge success, and I want to thank everyone who was involved. We are thrilled to have raised such an incredible amount as we celebrate our 30th year.
“This money will go towards our projects which are improving cardiac care in the Hampshire region and beyond. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to everyone who supported the event.”
Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive of Mayflower Theatre, added: “It was a privilege to support Heartbeat with this event. It was a fabulous evening and it’s wonderful to hear that such a fantastic amount of money has been raised.”
Since its launch in 1992, Heartbeat has worked tirelessly to provide the best quality cardiac care as it supports the Wessex Cardiac Unit based at Southampton General Hospital, now the University Hospital Southampton.
Projects spearheaded by the charity include Heartbeat House, the charity’s 25-bedroom ‘home from home’. The house is designed to support and provide respite to families of cardiac patients undergoing treatment at University Hospital Southampton and is located just a three-minute walk away.
It currently costs £87,000 per year to keep the facility running and relies solely on donations. Another Heartbeat-funded project is its innovative 3D heart campaign, which is revolutionising the approach of surgeons when carrying out invasive cardiac diagnostic testing.
Costing £600 per heart, surgeons can utilise specialist cardiac modelling software to easily scan the patient’s heart using non-invasive methods such as a CT scan or an MRI. This creates a detailed blueprint of the heart, which can then be sent to a 3D printer.
The printer will then produce an identical plastic model of the heart, offering an in-depth look at the organ and any defects it may have.
Heartbeat supports families and patients, including those who travel from right across the South of England, and beyond for treatment in one of the UKs leading cardiac centres of excellence at University Hospital Southampton.