LOCAL MP Stephen Doughty gave his backing to the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Ramp up the Red campaign recently, when the BHF revealed their first ever pop-up shop in the Palace of Westminster.

The Cardiff South and Penarth MP met shop staff and volunteers to hear how BHF shops raise vital funds for life-saving research.

Through their Ramp up the Red campaign, which encouraged people to wear something red, host a red-themed party, or bake some red-coloured treats, the BHF aimed to raise as much money as possible to ‘fight for every heartbeat’.

Mr Doughty said: “I was delighted to help raise awareness of heart disease by taking part in Ramp up the Red, and support the BHF’s efforts to beat a devastating disease which can affect anyone, from babies to grandparents.

“By popping up in Parliament, the BHF has reminded us of the vital role their shops play in raising funds for life-saving research.”

Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer, responsible for almost 74,000 deaths in the UK each year, an average of 200 people each day. There are currently 2.3 million people in the UK living with coronary heart disease.

Mike Taylor, Retail Director at the BHF, said: “We wanted to show MPs just how important our shops are – without our shop staff, including 23,000 volunteers across the UK, we simply couldn’t continue our life-saving work. It was fantastic to see Stephen Doughty showing his support and ramping up the red.”