Nov 30 2011 by Katie Bamber, Ellesmere Port Pioneer
THE MAYOR of Ellesmere Port is asking residents to make a splash by diving into a digital fish tank in support of the British Heart Foundation.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) teamed up with the charity in August to become a ‘Heart Town’ – an initiative that unites communities through fundraising and volunteering.
It aims to raise awareness of heart disease and offer support services including school and workplace health initiatives and lifestyle information resources.
Cllr Angela Claydon is calling on residents to support the BHF’s Mending Broken Hearts Appeal by creating a zebrafish for the charity’s online ‘Hope Tank’.
The human heart cannot repair itself after a heart attack, meaning people with heart failure must battle breathlessness and extreme tiredness. But the BHF hopes research into the zebrafish – which can repair damaged pieces of its own heart – may hold the answer to the problem.
The Mending Broken Hearts Appeal aims to raise £50m to fund research into heart disease in as little as 10 years time.
In the online ‘Hope Tank’ people can explore an underwater world, find out more about the appeal, read messages of support from fellow zebrafish, watch videos from BHF-funded scientists about their work and even bump into Cllr Claydon or a celebrity fish.
Cllr Claydon said: “I am proud to be one of our Heart Town’s first zebrafish and ask that you all go to hopetank.org.uk to join our shoal and show your support for this groundbreaking appeal, so we can give hope to millions of people worldwide suffering from heart failure.”
To join the Hope Tank, visit hopetank.org.uk.
Source: ellesmereportpioneer.co.uk