Pumping Marvellous

Lancashire Telegraph – written by Catherine Pye

FUNDING has been secured for a new heart failure ‘tool kit’ for patients leaving the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The Hapton-based charity Pumping Marvellous applied for £22,000 from NHS North West to produce 1,500 tool kits — parcels of information on how to live with the condition after discharge — and hope  to launch them at the end of September.

Nick Hartsthorne-Evans, 42, set up Pumping Marvellous after he suffered heart failure, aged 39, from picking up a virus.   He said: “Hospitals do their best to give leaflets that are clinically correct, but is that what the patient needs, to read about how morbid it is?

“What they give you satisfies your needs for about six months. It’s not a life-long thing.

“What we’re doing is based on the ‘bounty bag’ that new mums get after giving birth. It will give patients all the information they need throughout their lives on how to manage the condition. “There will be information in there for the employer, about smoking cessation and alcohol management, information for carers, and how make sure someone is getting benefits they’re entitled to.

“For the cost of each tool kit — about £15 — it will have a great impact on reducing hospital admissions and will make people less symptomatic

After an 18 month trial period, Nick hopes to be able to secure more funding to roll the scheme out regionally and then nationally.

Pictures from our Heart Day Event in Blackburn

Eat Well Plate

Children at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Exercising with the Blackburn Health Team

Children listening to their Heart

When set with a challenge to help and support children aged between 3&4 at Rosegrove Nursery for their healthy lifestyle education week we jumped at the chance. Wow what a week! On Monday the children were set a challenge to memorise 10 pieces of fruit and vegetables for their sponsorship of Pumping Marvellous. Throughout the week they were tasked with their families to remember all 10 fruit and vegetables and on Friday they would be tested on how many they’d remember and what a great job they did. Rosegrove Primary School raised £816.04. Pumping Marvellous will then make a donation of £408 to the Blackburn 3D echo scanner appeal “The Heart of Blackburn Appeal”. So the children have not only raised money to help local Heart Failure patients but have also made a significant contribution to the appeal for the Royal Blackburn Hospital 3D scanner.

We know it is very important to create legacy when completing these types of exercises so we decided to utilise the skills of Laura at the Burnley Healthy Lifestyle Team. Laura completed a smoothie morning with all of the children in a try and taste nurturing style which we know they all enjoyed. This has led the nursery to continue this with the children. What a fantastic result considering all the bad press lately surrounding the obesity levels of children within the East Lancashire area. Unfortunately the Buffalo Project which we completed this exercise under was funded by the lottery and didn’t get its funding to continue. A very large disappointment for all and this will only affect children.

Nick receives an Award

Nick Hartshorne-Evans the founder and now Trustee of Pumping Marvellous won the “Health Champion of Burnley” award last night with 200 people at a packed Mechanics Theatre in Burnley on the 16th June 2011. The event was hosted by Tony Livesey the BBC radio and TV presenter.

This is what was said by the organiser. The award was sponsored by Aircelle of Burnley, Burnleys largest employer and manufacturers of Aerospace Nacelle’s. A true world leader.

“Nick was admitted to hospital with an infection of his heart muscle resulting in Heart Failure in January 2010 at the age of 39. Nick has worked hard to recover and accessed Burnley Councils Healthy Lifestyles team for support. Nick’s passion to help people in a similair situation to himself led him to set up “Pumping Marvellous”; a dedicated heart failure patient and carer website which is so unique it has attracted attracte attention across the country. Nick campaigns tirelessly in aid of heart failure patients and their carers and is also currenlty helping to raise funds for the new 3D echo scanner at the Royal Blackburn Hospital called the “Heart of Blackburn” appeal”

Nick picking up Burnley Health Champion award

Image via Wikipedia

European Heart Failure Day – Education Day

We are delighted that we are able to confirm that we will be setting up educational stands at Asda Stores in Accrington slap bang in the middle of East Lancashire.

On Friday 6th May 2011 we will have educational stands set up to help Heart Failure Patients, their Carers, Family and anybody who would like to learn more about Heart Failure. the event starts at 10am and finishes at 7pm.

We will have three educational displays. Each educational display will focus on certain areas -

1. Heart Failure and support in the local community – Pumping Marvellous
2. You and your Heart – British Heart Foundation
3. “Heart of Blackburn” appeal for the new 3D echo cardiogram at the Royal Blackburn Hospital

We will have support from the following organisations

Pumping Marvellous

British Heart Foundation

East Lancashire very own award National Champions and winning Heart Failure Nursing team

Healthy Lifestyles Team

Cardio Teams from the Royal Blackburn

PALS team from NHS East Lancashire

According to NICE Heart Failure effects more than 900,000 people in the UK. It effects 1.8% of the population over the age of 45.  The prognosis indicates 30-40% of patients die within the first year, a worse survival rate than colon or breast cancer and 1 in 4 patients are re admitted to hospital within a year of diagnosis.

In East Lancashire where there are amplified coronary problems the figures look even worse. It is estimated that between 3-5% of the population have Heart Failure which equates to between 10,500 and 17,500 people. Between 700 and 800 are known by the Heart Failure Nursing Team and a number are managed within the GP poulation so where are the other?

So come down and show us some support even if it is whilst you are doing your shopping. We would also like to say a big thank you to Katy and her colleague team at Asda for being so proactive and welcoming.

World Heart Failure Day Announced for the 6th May 2011

This year World Heart Failure day is inked in for Friday 6th May 2011. To mark this day Pumping Marvellous has organised with NHS East Lancashire and the British Heart Foundation a full day of awareness for Heart Failure

Royal Blackburn Echo

and raising some badly needed money for the new 3D Echo Cardiogram for the Royal Blackburn Hospital. The BHF have been tasked with raising a lions share of money for the new 3D Echo for the Cardiology Department of the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The event will be held on the 6th May2011 at the Asda store in Accrington. There will be people representing Pumping Marvellous, the British Heart Foundation, NHS East Lancashire Heart Failure Nursing Team, NHS East Lancashire PALS and the Healthy Lifestyle Team. We will be there from 10am in the morning until around 6/7pm. Our education stand will be raising awareness of Heart Failure to the general public in East Lancashire and talking through the condition and the support available to people. We will also be raising the profile of the 3D Echo machine and what it will give the people of  East Lancashire. The teams will also be testing there skills as expert bag packers for Asda’s customers whilst raising funds for the 3D Echo appeal.

A local appeal delivered by local people.

Please come down and support us or just give us a wave whilst you are doing your shopping.

Cardiac Physiologists at the Royal Blackburn

New 3D Echo Appeal for the Royal Blackburn Cardiology Department

The BHF are supporting and fund raising for a new 3D Echo Cardiogram machine that will enable cardiac consultants to further help heart failure patients in the East Lancs area via the Royal Blackburn Hospital. Pumping Marvellous will be adding that local touch to the campaign and assisting the BHF with it’s target. When we have further details we will do a more concise piece on it but here are some of the photos taken that will be used in the media campaign to build awareness of the cause.

Pumping Marvellous supporting the BHF at the Royal Blackburn Hospital