Challenging year could not stop staff and students raising more than £60,000 for heart charity

A challening year did not stop students and staff at Coleg Cambria raising over £60,000 for a national charity.

The north east Wales college collected a staggering £60,705 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru.

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted upon the final amount, with learners and employees forced to cancel events and activities for safety reasons.

But in response they decided to take them online by holding a series of virtual fundraising auctions, quizzes and more to support the cause.

Karen Senior, Head of Learner Services, congratulated everyone for their efforts and contribution before and after the Coronavirus took hold in the UK earlier this year.

“I would like to say a big thank you to the students, staff, and our local community,” she said.

“We were on course to raise even more money but the way everyone persevered and came up with alternative online events was brilliant.

“It is a fantastic amount considering the year we’ve had, and I hope it will help BHF Cymru with their amazing work across the country.”

More than 340,000 people in Wales are living with the daily burden of heart and circulatory disease.

BHF Cymru wants to combat that by continuing to fund lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases to find better ways of diagnosing, treating and ultimately curing them.

Head of BHF Cymru Adam Fletcher said: “We’re really grateful to Coleg Cambria for raising such an amazing amount in what’s been a really difficult and disruptive year for everyone.

“Due to the impact of Covid-19, our ability to fund new research into heart and circulatory diseases has been cut in half. Slowing down our research means that new treatments and cures will be delayed, which is why we support like this from Coleg Cambria is so vital.

“There has never been a more important time for people to support the BHF’s work.”

Coleg Cambria has been supporting community causes throughout the festive period, donating to food banks and supporting local charities via its sites in Wrexham, Llysfasi, Deeside and Northop.

Visit www.cambriaold.ac.uk for the latest news and information from the college. For more information on the British Heart Foundation, visit the website: www.bhf.org.uk